La Belle Dame sans Merci
by Alaina Downs
Summary: One year after the fall of the Queen of Hearts, Alice is kidnapped and brought to Wonderland.  Hatter follows her, but soon things are not well as the true history of Alice's family is revealed.
1. Chapter 1

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: I meant to come back to the Alice fandom with a couple of one shots, but this story came to me in bits and pieces one night, and after a few conversations with Lady Irish Rose…this story was born. Consider this an AU venture of sorts. I'm planning to make this quite dark in situations and language, hence the M rating, but I think it will be an interesting journey. I wanted to thank everybody who has followed me through my Alice stories, and I appreciate the reviews and support. **

Prologue

Wonderland: One day after the fall of the Queen of Hearts

Caterpillar tapped his finger against the edge of the thick, yellowing book. He cleared his throat, and called out, "Did you manage to get him?"

Dodo slowly inched into the room. "Carpenter has been successfully revived. He's being kept on machines in the hospital."

"Is he Carpenter? Or is he Robert? Do we know yet?"

"No." Dodo pulled up the chair next to Caterpillar. "He can't speak at the moment." Dodo paused before plunging ahead. "Why did you want him revived? I don't quite understand…he's an Oyster."

Caterpillar looked over at Dodo. "What about the Queen? The King? I mean, Jack's parents?"

"Um, she's in the prison tower. He's still in the hospital. He was in worse condition than Carpenter, but…they think they can get his brain rewired and working again." Dodo glanced at him. "Jack hasn't made up his mind if his father is going to be imprisoned with his mother."

"The King certainly did his share of encouraging the Oyster and Tea market," Caterpillar pointed out.

Dodo remained silent. He glimpsed outside the window at the storm that was beginning. "Did Alice leave?" Caterpillar asked.

"Yes. That carpetbagger, the Hatter followed after her."

"Oh." Caterpillar looked back at the book. "Part of me wonders if we are doing the right thing by putting all our faith for Wonderland in Jack. He is young. He has no real experience as a ruler."

Dodo leaned forward, and crossed his arms. "I don't understand. You were the one who brought Jack into the Resistance in the first place. Why…why are you saying this?" Dodo shook his head. "We have no other options. You know as well as I do how Wonderland works. If we don't have the next ruler from the Red house of Cards…the White Queen is long gone."

"We have two other options," Caterpillar said softly.

"I don't…two options?"

"How old were you twenty five years ago?"

Dodo chuckled uncomfortably. "I was twenty. I was studying politics at the university in the south."

Caterpillar bit his lip. "What…what I'm about to tell you…it can't leave this room. You, of course, I assume you remember the Princess Evredee?"

Dodo smacked his lips as he blew out a deep breath. "Who could forget? That year…she may have been worse than the Queen."

"She's still alive." Caterpillar pushed the book towards Dodo. "I didn't…I didn't realize. Not until I saw the picture, and put everything together."

"What? I…no, no she was killed. After it was revealed…" Dodo sighed. "What am I looking for here? It's just a picture."

"Look closely. Doesn't she look a lot like a young Oyster?"

Dodo took a sharp intake of air. He gently moved his finger over the girl's hair. "That's impossible," he finally murmured. He glanced at Caterpillar. "But, what does this mean? That you were wrong? That Carpenter isn't her father?"

Caterpillar glared at him. "Oh, no. I wasn't wrong. Carpenter _is _her father." He rubbed his temples. "Except…Carpenter was an invention of the Queen. Do you understand? There never was a Carpenter until ten years ago. There was…" Caterpillar got up, and grabbed another book, flinging it open. "See?" He pointed to a young man in a group photo. "Read the name."

"I…" Dodo swallowed. "His name was Robert Hamilton, and…but, why-"

"I don't know. He must've done something to her once they crossed the mirror. She wasn't killed." Caterpillar started pacing around the room. "I wasn't thinking about the whole picture. Once I figured out that Carpenter was used only to make him forget…"

Dodo slammed both books shut. "It doesn't matter. We have Jack."

"And if Jack fails?"

"You can't possibly-"

"As a backup," Caterpillar jumped in. "If Jack fails-"

Dodo started to laugh, the echo resonating through the room. "You're mad, old man! I've heard stories about you and your shroom addiction, but this, this is taking it too far!"

"No!" Caterpillar spat out. "I'm the head of the Resistance! Not you! Understand?" He shook, his finger trembling as he pointed it at Dodo. "Jack has always deferred to me, and now…" He exhaled; the color slowly returning to his cheeks. "I'm not saying that we go and bring her back now, but, we can make her better so that what happened last time doesn't. We can use Carpenter for that. He changed her personality once before."

"What are you saying? That if Jack fails as King, we take her, and basically control her as the Queen? That's your plan?" Dodo asked slowly.

Caterpillar's face broke out in a toothy grin. "Exactly. She'll be our little puppet. Jack is quite insistent on doing things on his own, without the Resistance, after everything we did for him…he's bound to disappoint."

Dodo nodded. "So, how long do we give Jack?"

"We have to make it seem reasonable, don't we? What about a year? That shouldn't cause any suspicion." Caterpillar pursed his lips. "I think you should keep an eye on Carpenter. I want you to be at his bed when he wakes up."

"And, then what?"

"And then…you bring him down to the dungeon. You do not talk to Jack of Carpenter being revived, and Carpenter is to be guarded at all times while he's here." He glared at Dodo. "Do we have an agreement?"

"You said we had two options. Who's the second?"

Caterpillar opened the first book, and stared at the photograph. The young woman with the long auburn hair smiled sweetly at him; her lips upturned in a familiar smile. "Alice."

* * *

><p>Dodo closed the door, and started to head out towards the main exit of the library. A tall, thin man with graying hair fell in line behind him. "Well?" he asked.<p>

Dodo grinned. "Dear Lorry, you don't waste a single moment, do you?"

"Don't fuck around, Dodo. Is everything in place?"

"It's been one day, and with me whispering in Jack's ear…Caterpillar is already feeling the effects." Dodo pulled the front door open. "We have a year."

"A year? But, a year for what?"

"To ensure that Jack is not successful as King."

Lorry smiled. "So, Caterpillar agrees then? The Resistance should rule Wonderland?"

"No. He has another plan, a crazy, maddening plan, and it's up to you and I to make sure it doesn't come to fruition." Their heels smartly clicked on the cement steps as they headed towards the hospital.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I promise that Alice and Hatter will be making their appearance soon, I just had to lay out the background of what is occurring in Wonderland. Hope this piques your interest, we're going to go on a wild ride.**


	2. Chapter 2

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Wow! Thank you everybody so much for following this story! I really appreciate the support and I hope the twists and turns are going to be worth it. Have you guessed who the woman is? It will all be revealed soon. Now here are some stories that you guys have to check out if you haven't already: Live4Sunshine's **_**Wonderland Sunshine**_**, Kafria's **_**Wonderland**_**, lady-ribbon's **_**HATTER: User guide and Manual, **_**and of course Lady Irish Rose's **_**Hatter on a Hellmouth**_**. A big thanks as always goes to Lady Irish Rose for her excellent suggestions, and just a general push for me to go to the dark side. Enjoy!**

Chapter One

New York: One Year Later

Alice slung the bag of groceries over her shoulder, and took another look at the bottle of wine she picked out as she waited for the elevator to open. The new diamond ring on her left hand clinked against the glass as she nestled the bottle under her arm. She reached down to pull up the wooden door as the elevator stopped on the fifth floor. Alice quickly shut it behind her, and turned to face the hallway. She could make out the entrance to Hatter's apartment. It was the last one on the left; the door slightly ajar.

_Our apartment_, she corrected herself. Alice tsked, and let out a wry chuckle. "Hatter? Hatter, I've told you not to leave the door open!"

She nudged it with her shoulder, nearly tripping over one of the several unopened boxes of hers that were strewn around the living room. "Shit. Hatter!"

Alice dropped the bag and wine bottle on the kitchen counter. "Hatter! I got some wine to go with the dinner, which of course you have to make, although my mom said that I'm getting better."

She opened the drawer, and pulled out a corkscrew. "Hatter! Seriously, where are you? The bath…"

The wine bottle smashed on the white floor. "Hello, Alice."

"Who are you?" her voice shook with every word. "Where's Hatter? What have you done to Hatter?"

"Nothing."

"I don't believe you." The broken glass cracked under Alice's boots as she slowly began to back away. "Hatter? Hatter!"

"I'm not here for Hatter, Alice." The young man smiled charmingly at her. "I'm here for you."

"What?" She glanced down at the insignia on the man's suit. "No."

Alice scrambled to run, but her heel slipped on the wine puddle that was quickly spreading over the kitchen tile. He grabbed her by the end of her ponytail; yanking her up. She screamed, thrashing against him.

The needle was so small. It pricked Alice lightly on her collarbone, and she collapsed down in a heap.

* * *

><p><span>Wonderland: One Year Later<span>

Robert's hand shook as he input the numbers on the computer. Lorry kept the gun next to his side; the door blocked.

"I really don't think it's necessary for you to have the gun with you," Robert said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"You know as well as I do that Dodo requires it," Lorry replied. "Don't want you running off."

"Don't you think that I would've tried to escape before? And how could I possibly even attempt to, the way you have the place guarded."

Lorry grinned. "That means that you have given it some thought."

Robert flushed. He cleared his throat, and turned around. "You're guarding me because you can't do it, can you? You can't get Carpenter back."

Lorry rushed at him, the gun jammed against Robert's throat. "Shut up," he hissed.

"I warned you. You can't keep changing the personalities so often." Robert chuckled weakly. "You do that, the old one always wins out."

"Let him go!" Caterpillar shouted.

"But, he-" Lorry started to protest.

"You heard me," Caterpillar said. "You wouldn't really be so stupid to kill the man we need…would you?"

"No, of course not. I just-"

"Lost your head?" Caterpillar smiled. "Let him go."

Robert breathed out a sigh of relief as Lorry took a step back. He glanced at the young tech standing behind Caterpillar in the doorway. "What is _he _doing here?"

"We're going to give it one more try."

Robert scoffed. "I warned you. You can try-"

"You're too emotional, Robert. Carpenter was good at getting the job done even though-"

"You don't think I remember?" Robert yelled. "I remember _everything_ about being Carpenter. There's a turning point for all new personalities you put in someone. Sooner or later the old ones always-"

"Except one," Carpenter said evenly.

"I got lucky," Robert replied, his face ashen.

"Sit down in the chair."

"I'm telling you-"

Caterpillar walked over, and grabbed Robert by the arm. "If you don't sit in the chair after I asked you nicely…I will use force." He nodded at Lorry. "You don't want us to use force…do you?"

Robert swallowed. "No. What if it doesn't work this time? It didn't the last round."

Caterpillar sighed. "Then I suppose we'll have to just deal with Robert, won't we?" He gave the tech a brief signal. "Go ahead."

Robert lay down in the leather chair that was perched in front of the computer screens. He rolled his sleeve up, and forced a smile on his face as watch the tech prepare the syringe. "So, what makes this batch different?"

"There is no difference. We can't add in anything more to the Carpenter formula without killing you."

"Oh." The tech bent down, and injected the blue fluid in Robert's vein. He shuddered as he felt his blood run cold, but there was nothing else; no blackouts, no feelings of weightlessness. Robert tapped his finger against the metal bearings. "Right. Well, that ends that little experiment."

"Shit." Caterpillar shook his head. "Fine."

"You shouldn't have changed me into Carpenter, and then back into Robert. Too many times-"

"Fine!" Caterpillar yelled. "We couldn't keep you as Carpenter. We needed Robert for…I mean, we needed you…how's the program coming?"

"Just a couple more tweaks to work out. At the moment it's hard to make the additional personality points stable," Robert replied.

Lorry looked at Caterpillar. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the formula is not stable." Robert jumped out of the chair, and began to type. "It can erase the personality, replace it with a new one, but, it's the additions you want that are causing the problem."

"I don't understand," Lorry muttered.

"That's 'cause you're an idiot," Robert retorted. "Look at it this way, take the personality of Carpenter. Now, erase that personality and you're left with the original one of Robert, and if that's all you wanted to achieve then you would be fine." He touched the screen and brought up a long list. "But, it's the additionals that you wanted. Those extra personality traits that you wanted to add it, or the ones that you wanted to override the negative traits. It's sporadic. Some stick, and some don't."

"Why?"

"The brain can't always handle it. It may accept the new information for a little while, but it will soon see that rewiring as a threat, and expunge it."

Caterpillar tapped his finger against his lower lip. "Can you fix it?"

Robert turning around, crossing his arms over his chest. "I can. But…I can't keep working like this. I won't do it anymore if you're intending to use this on Jack."

"We're not using this on Jack," Caterpillar said.

"Who's it for?"

"I can't tell you."

"No." Robert shook his head. "I want a real answer this time, and not some bullshit, 'it's for the good of Wonderland' kind of thing. A real answer."

"I can't give it to you."

"Then I can't do this."

Lorry rushed at him. "Do you want to die?" he snarled.

Robert's chin quivered. "I was dead once before. What difference does it make if you kill me again?"

Caterpillar sighed, and walked over to the computers. He smacked his lips examining the screens. "If you don't do this, it's not you who will die." He turned to Robert. "Alice will."

"What?" Robert paled. "What do you mean?"

Caterpillar cleared his throat. "Lorry, pull up the surveillance tapes. All of them."

The computer screens blackened for a moment before being replaced with several small blocks of black and white video. "Take a look in the lower left corner," Carpenter said quietly.

Robert's eyes widened. Alice was rattling the metal bars; her hair and clothes a mess. She was shouting, and crying. She kicked the bars before falling down to the cement floor in frustration. "What have you done?" he whispered. "Why is she here?"

"She's an option we're considering." Caterpillar pointed to another box in the center. "Take a look."

"I…" Robert peered in closer. "No." He turned to Caterpillar, his mouth agape. "No. What's she doing here?"

"She…_she _is the main option. I wasn't going to tell you, but…you needed to know how serious we are."

Robert glanced at the chair. "You mean to…no. No. You're mad."

"Or just clever."

"I won't do it. Not if you're intending to change-"

Caterpillar enlarged the shot of Alice. "You don't finish this job, she will be killed…in front of you."

"No."

"Then I suggest the best thing to do would be to get back to it…don't you think?" Caterpillar patted Robert on the arm, nodding over at Lorry.

Robert touched the screen, placing the center shot next to the one of Alice. "No. What have I done?"

* * *

><p>Dodo ran into the throne room, out of breath. "Your Majesty!" he shouted.<p>

Jack and Duchess looked up from their reading. "What is it? What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"The mirror's been used."

"What? It's not supposed to be…where's the ring? Has the ring been moved?"

"Caterpillar." Dodo exhaled. "Caterpillar has taken it."

Jack swallowed. "Find him." He turned to the Suits waiting by the door. "Find him…and arrest him."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know. No Hatter, but he will be coming soon, like in the next chapter soon! Have you figured it out yet? I know that Wonderland and Alice's world are on different times, but since I suck at math...I couldn't figure it out so keeping them on the same timelines. I'm hoping, since summer is over, and things are starting to calm down that I'll have more time at night to work on this story. Thank you so much for reading it!**


	3. Chapter 3

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Thank you again to those of you who have stuck with me. I really appreciate it. I know, I seem to be getting these out at a record rate now, but hey, I figure if I have it in my head, I might as well just get it out, because the sooner I get through some of these chapters, the sooner things get revealed and Hatter and Alice get reunited! Also, I have insomnia due to crap going on now, so this at least takes my mind off it. Enjoy!**

Chapter Two

Hatter tapped his boot clad foot on the dirty linoleum floor of the elevator. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror that arched over the doorway, and adjusted his black fedora. "Come on, come on," he muttered. Hatter pursed his lips; the tapping getting noticeably louder as the arrow hovered closer to the five. "Bloody hell, are you doing this to me on purpose?"

Hatter retrieved his cell phone from his jacket pocket, and cursed as he saw the time. "Shit." His hands sweat through the thin wrapping that was holding the flowers together. "Alice!" He ran through the doors, and skidded to a stop at the end of the hallway. The entrance to his apartment was open, and he could make out the contents from one of Alice's boxes tossed haphazardly around the opening.

"Alice?" Hatter whispered. "Alice, you told me…" his voice trailed off as he spied the spilled wine and broken glass on the kitchen floor. "Alice?" Hatter quickly shut the door behind him, his hands shaking as he reached for his phone. "Alice, if this is your idea of a joke…" Hatter swallowed, "this is not a good one." He clenched the flowers in his fist tightly; the skin turning red.

He slowly turned his head towards Alice's purse on the kitchen counter. He had dialed her cell phone, and the ringing was coming from inside the bag. Hatter let out a silent gasp as he shut off his phone. Her cell phone stopped ringing as soon as he ended the call. "Shit." The flowers dropped down. "Alice! Alice!" Hatter ran over to the bedroom and bathroom were, his hat flying off. "Alice! Shit, c'mon, Alice! This isn't funny!" Both rooms were empty; everything untouched. "Alice!"

Hatter crashed down on the floor. He shoved his hand roughly through his hair as he felt his pulse start to race. Hatter accessed his phone again, and stared at Alice's name, a picture of her smiling at him underneath. "Carol," he murmured. "Right." He sniffed, and wiped his nose across his sleeve. "Carol." He exhaled, and dialed her home number. He beat the palm of his free hand on his knee as he listened to it ring. Hatter growled as the answering machine clicked on. "Fuck." He took a deep breath in, trying to control his shaking hand as he touched the screen, and dialed Carol's cell. "Fuck. Come on, Carol," he muttered as it rang. "Fuck." Hatter shut it off, and scampered out of the room.

Hatter took one last look around the apartment, his eyes searching for something; anything. He bit his lip, and grabbed the hat off the floor before slamming the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Jack strummed his fingers against the edge of the table. Duchess held his other hand in hers, and squeezed it tight. He smiled tightly at her before glancing at Dodo and Lorry sitting across from them.<p>

"They couldn't find Caterpillar," Jack said tensely.

Dodo paled. "He must've figured out that the Suits were looking for him and he moved…shit."

"Do you have any idea where he could be?" Duchess asked.

Dodo and Lorry looked at each other. "No," Dodo finally replied. "He must've…he must've been successful."

"Successful? Successful, how?" Jack asked, leaning across the table.

Dodo stood up and chuckled uncomfortably. "I thought he was talking as a mad man."

"Do you know who he brought back through the mirror?"

"Yes." Dodo started to pace around the room. "I didn't think it was possible, but, with the mirror being activated, and…now this. What do you know about the Princess Evredee?"

Jack's face scrunched up. "I…she died. She was killed for going against the kingdom before I was born."

"What if I told you that she didn't die?" Dodo asked.

"No, that's…she was killed twenty five years ago after she did that horrible thing. Well, all the horrible things." Jack looked at Duchess. "She was worse than my mother."

Duchess turned to Dodo. "What are you saying? She's alive?"

"If Caterpillar really meant it…yes. He somehow found her on the other side of the mirror and he brought her back."

Jack swallowed. "To do what?"

"To bring you down," Dodo said darkly. "Someone changed her on the other side of the looking glass." He shrugged. "That's the only explanation."

"Change her? What do you mean?" Duchess asked.

"Think very hard, Your Highness," Dodo continued. "Do you think that Alice's father was the only one who was changed? When he was taken from Alice's world he was transformed into Carpenter. It's very likely that someone changed the Princess' personality."

"And…what? They brought her back to…" Jack paled. "To revert back to her old self?"

"I hope I'm wrong, but, with Caterpillar seemingly committing treason…"

Jack and Duchess looked at each other. "What do you suggest we do?"

"It's too dangerous for you two to be in the city," Dodo replied. "You need to be in hiding. We can continue to look for Caterpillar, and bring him down, and prevent this from happening, but you two cannot be here."

"I can't abandon Wonderland!" Jack exclaimed.

"You won't be abandoning Wonderland. Everything would be much worse if Caterpillar was victorious. The best thing would be for you and the Queen to go somewhere safe."

Duchess nodded. "Jack, if Caterpillar has really…if all the stories about Evredee are true…we need to go."

"And what if that's not the case?" Jack asked her.

"Then Dodo will come and inform us when it's safe to come back. Won't you?"

Dodo concurred. "Of course. We want the King and Queen on the throne, just think of the chaos that will happen if you're not."

"I know where we can go," Duchess interjected. "My family has that summer home in south Wonderland by the lake. Caterpillar wouldn't know of it. We can go there, and leave Dodo here to manage things."

"Are you sure about Caterpillar?" Jack asked.

"I am." Dodo looked solemnly at them. "We'll use all the Suits at our disposal to search for him. I promise you, Your Majesties, I will not rest until Caterpillar is captured."

"Okay. I believe you." Jack sighed. "We'll leave today. We'll pack, and take a Scarab out so we can be there tonight."

"Lorry will accompany you to make sure you get there safely."

"Thank you." Jack helped Duchess up. "Be ready to meet us in two hours at the dock."

"Of course Your Highness." Lorry bowed, and waited till Jack and Duchess left the room. "Good one. But, have you thought about what you're going to do if Caterpillar does manage to bring Evredee back successfully?"

"Simple. I will kill her…her, and Alice."

"And, then?"

Dodo grinned. "We'll take care of Jack, and the Duchess just fine."

* * *

><p>Carol's place was dark. The door creaked as Hatter lightly pushed it open. "Carol?" He reached over, and flipped on the light switch, wincing at the state that greeted him. Chairs were knocked down to the floor. There was a big puddle of coffee seeping into the cracks of the wood; the cup smashed. "Oh…bloody…Carol!" he shouted. He ran into the kitchen, and pulled out of the knives from the drawer. "Carol?" He turned around, and spied her cell phone sitting on the kitchen counter. "Shit."<p>

Hatter held the knife out as he made his way back into the living room. He peered into Carol's bedroom. Nothing had been moved. Her bed was made, and her clothes from work were lying over the duvet. "Carol?" He walked over to the bedside table, and turned on the light. He hurriedly opened the closet door, and peeked under the bed. "Shit. Carol!"

He dashed out, and down the steps to Alice's old bedroom. Her bed and desk were still there, otherwise it was empty. He glanced at the empty bookcase, and the closet next to it. "Fuck." His voice was hoarse as he fell down to the carpet.

Hatter drew his knees up, resting his chin on them as he sobbed. "There's no need for you to call the police," a man's voice said from behind him.

He froze. He jutted the knife out. "Who are you?"

"You know who I am."

"No. I don't." Hatter jumped, his hand trembling as he tried to steady the knife. "Who are you?"

"You know who I am," the man said again. He stepped out from around the corner. He was Hatter's age, thin with a long narrow face, and a head of shocking green hair.

"Bill," Hatter whispered.

"You know that you don't need to call the police," Bill said.

"What are you…" Hatter grunted, and lifted the knife again. "What did you do with them?"

"I didn't do anything to them. I just came from your place. Hatter-"

"Where are they?"

"Can you please put the knife down?"

Hatter shook his head. "Where are they?" he hissed.

"You know where they are. That's why you didn't just call the police when you saw your place," Bill replied. "They were taken."

"How do you know?"

"I didn't take them if that's-"

Hatter rushed at him. "How do I know that?"

Bill swallowed, the knife dangerously pressing on his throat. "My brother took them."

"What?" He slowly lowered the knife. "Why?"

"He came home, and he told me that he was ordered to take both Alice and her mother to Wonderland. He dropped them off at two different-"

"Who ordered this?" Hatter asked, his accent thickening.

Bill sighed. "Look, things are bad over in Wonderland. The trial hasn't started yet for the King and Queen- I mean the old King and Queen, they actually revived-"

Hatter threw Bill against the wall. "I don't care about the bloody King and Queen! I want to know who ordered this!"

"The Resistance…something's wrong with the Resistance, and-"

"I just want to get Alice and Carol back. If you won't stop fucking around-"

"Caterpillar," Bill whispered.

"What?"

"That's why I was trying…" Bill gulped, and exhaled. "Caterpillar ordered them both to be taken. My brother said that Carpenter, or Robert, or whatever he's going by now, is back. Caterpillar brought him back to life…somehow."

"What?" Hatter loosened his hold on Bill, and receded. "Alice's father? But…I saw him. He died."

"You know as well as I do that sometimes people don't stay dead. You do remember that I was there when you killed-"

"I know," Hatter cut in tersely.

"Right." Bill reddened, and bit his lip. "I think Caterpillar is trying to bring down Jack."

"What do Alice and her mother have to do with this? I mean…"

"I don't know. But, something's not right. Dodo has been seen at court a lot more, and-"

"Dodo can't be trusted," Hatter interjected.

"I'm starting to believe you on that aspect."

"Where were they taken?"

"I don't know." Bill shrugged helplessly. "I don't even think my brother knows. He says there were two different drop off places, and…he just met Caterpillar and another man."

"Fuck," Hatter muttered. "Come on, lets go."

"How are you going to find them there? They could be taken anywhere in Wonderland."

Hatter pursed his lips. "I have my ways, yeah? I know someone in the Resistance who had access to every single map of Wonderland."

"Hatter, you don't understand. The Resistance is splitting. You don't even know this man can be trusted anymore."

"She," Hatter corrected Bill. "I don't know if she can be trusted, but, this is Alice. I…" His eyes darted around the room as tears threatened to spill over again.

"Okay," Bill said softly, "lets go."

* * *

><p>The door opened. The young woman's eyes widened, and her mouth opened in a small 'o' before she clamped it shut. "Hatter, I…"<p>

"Hi, Carlotta."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oopsie, what did I do there? Please let me know if you have any questions about anything that you need clarified. I hope that I've been explaining this well enough, but please, don't hesitate to ask! And also let me know if you've figured certain things out. Hope you liked it! **


	4. Chapter 4

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the kind reviews, and the alerts for the story. I appreciate them all! I've gotten asked about the title a couple of times, so I wanted to let you know it's based on the poem **_**La Belle Dame sans Merci **_**by John Keats. I highly encourage you to read it, and it should, hopefully, become clear soon of what stanzas provided the inspiration. I have to thank Lady Irish Rose for all her help with this chapter. She has been an amazing pusher for me, especially when I wasn't sure if I should take it there. Enjoy the chapter, it's getting closer, guys!**

Chapter Three

"Alice? Alice?"

She mumbled, her eyes fluttering open. "Hatter?"

"Alice? Can you hear me? Alice?"

She reached her arm out, and rolled off the thin cot down to the cement ground. "Shit," she whispered.

"Alice! Alice!"

"Hatter?" She gingerly rubbed at the bump that was starting to pop up on her temple.

"Alice, look up."

Alice winced as she glanced towards the ceiling. "What? I don't see anything."

"Alice, okay, look up to your right. The window."

She slowly pulled herself up, nearly stumbling over her feet. "You're not Hatter. Who are you?" Alice climbed back up on the cot, and peered through the small oval window that separated thee two cells. "Oh, my god."

"Alice…"

"No." The heel of her boot wavered over the edge of the mattress, and she tumbled downward.

"Alice!"

"No!" She jumped back up. "No. You…you _died _in front of me!" Alice shook her head, and started to cry. "No. You know what? This isn't real. This is some fucked up, _sick_ joke that someone is playing on me. You're not really my father, because my father is dead. So, you must be some kind of…some kind of robot or something that they, whoever _they _are planted-"

"Alice…"

She rushed back towards the cot. "Do you even remember me? You didn't remember me when you saw me again."

Robert shut his eyes. "That was the worst mistake of my life. I…I need to explain what they did to me."

"No, I know what they did to you."

"No." Robert let out a strangled cry. "You don't."

"What do you mean? I don't understand. Why are you here?"

"I've been kept in here for almost a year. They just…I'm going to get you out of here, Alice."

"Finish. Tell me why you're here," Alice spat out.

"They brought me back from…I was dead. They brought me back here to use me. I…I'm going to get you out of here, and then I'll explain everything."

Alice's chin quivered as she started to whimper. "How? How can you help me get out of here if you're in here as well?"

"I'll find a way. Believe me, Alice. I'll do everything and anything I can to get you out, and home safely."

"I…who took me?"

"Caterpillar."

Alice paled. "What? But, he…he brought me to you before. Why…why would he…?"

Robert hesitated. "I don't know why he ordered you to be taken," he finally said. He bit his lower lip. "Things aren't so great here."

"I don't understand. Jack is King, right? What…why…" She took a deep breath, and sobbed. "I don't understand."

"I'll get you out, and I…hey." He reached his hand through the window to touch her arm. "You said the name Hatter. Did he follow you through the mirror?" Robert asked softly.

"Mmm hmm," Alice sniffled. "I wonder where he is. I keep thinking that I'll wake up, and he'll be next to me, and…"

"I've missed so much." Robert absentmindedly rubbed the diamond on her finger.

"I just want to go home," Alice whispered. She yanked her hand away, and stared at her ring. "You were dead. Hatter came to my world to be with me, and I was actually…happy."

"Alice, I promise you-"

The gate leading to the entryway slammed shut. "What's going on?" she asked. Alice's eyes flashed as she stepped off the cot, and ran over to the barred doorway. She watched as four Suits walked down to Robert's cell. "No, wait. Wait! Where are you taking him?"

"Alice, you have to promise me something-" There was a scuffling noise as the Suits entered his room.

"Dad? Dad! No, wait!" Alice shouted. She rattled the bars. "Where are you taking him? Dad! Dad!"

"Alice! If you get out, you-"

Alice let out a scream as she watched one of the Suits hit Robert over the head the blunt edge of his sword. "Dad? Dad!" She shook her head, barely able to breathe as her body was wracked with sobs.

* * *

><p>Hatter gnawed on his lip. "Are you going to invite me in?"<p>

Carlotta stuttered, twisting the ends of her dark hair around her finger. "Um…right. Yeah. Yeah, sure, come in."

"Are you alone?"

She smiled, and shut the door behind them. "Last I heard, you followed an Oyster girl to the other side of the mirror. Did that not work out? I mean, did you finally work up the courage to ask me to sleep with you?"

He swallowed. "Carlotta, I…" Hatter shut his eyes. "I came here because I needed someone I could trust."

"Oh." Carlotta paled. "I…okay. Sit down, I'll…do you want a cup of tea?"

Hatter smiled weakly. "That's supposed to be my line."

"Yeah." She awkwardly patted him on the shoulder as she moved into the kitchen. "Sit down."

"I don't know if I can." He took his hat off, and shook his hair free. "I don't even remember how I found this place again." Hatter smiled as Carlotta came back in carrying a wooden tray with two cups of tea and some biscuits. "Ah, good. Thanks."

"So…why are you here? I mean if it's not-"

"Do you still have the maps? The maps you made for the Resistance?"

"Um, you mean the ones of the Resistance safe houses, and-"

"Yeah," Hatter said brusquely, "do you have that?"

"Yeah, but I…Hatter, what's going on?" Carlotta took a sip of the tea.

He shook his head, and turned to look at her. "Your eyes are blue. I never noticed your eyes being blue before. Actually, I don't think I've ever really noticed blue before…" Hatter chuckled softly. "Alice. Alice was taken. For some reason, Caterpillar took her. Oh, and her mother. He ordered Alice's mother to be taken."

"Alice? You're saying that Alice…" Carlotta sighed. "It's hard for things…um, Resistance members still talk. I heard that some Oysters were brought in-"

"You knew-"

"No! Wait, hold on!" She lifted her hand up to stop him. "I just heard that some Oysters were brought in through the mirror. I didn't know who they were, or who ordered it."

"Okay." He rubbed at his temples. "I'm sorry, I…"

Carlotta glanced at him. "You think Caterpillar is behind it?"

"That's what Bill told me."

"I've heard rumors that he was unhappy. That he wanted to bring down the King." She shrugged. "You know, maybe something in him snapped. He had been the leader of the Resistance for so long, and…"

"Okay, so he wants to bring down Jack, fine. I wouldn't mind that bugger being taken down a peg or two, but, why take Alice? Why take Carol?"

"Carol?"

"Her mother."

"Right." Carlotta bit her lip. "I don't know." She got up, and walked over to where a large painted wooden chest rest against the wall. She unlocked the bolt, and pulled out three large rolls of paper. "You know, I…I meant to tell you; you look good."

"Oh? I don't look like I've been…" He shook his head. "Never mind. You look good too. Then again, you've always looked…bloody amazing." Hatter grinned, and took a sip of his tea. "So, what's…I mean, are you still seeing that bloke? Um…you know?"

"Ah, no. Once everything kind of ended here, I well, I just couldn't…" She sighed. "He was fun while it lasted."

"Oh."

"Yeah, you know, um, I've gotten a new job. No longer playing both sides of the fence and all."

"Oh, you're not dancing anymore?"

"Ha. No. I'm actually doing something good, you know? A new school opened, and the King wants it to be available to everybody, and I decided to put my art skills to some good use." Carlotta sat down next to him. "So, I'm teaching. Art."

"You were always a good dancer."

She chuckled. "You always gave me the best tips."

"Well, your tits were…" Hatter grinned. "They made it worth it. Anyways."

"Have you spoken to Sarah? You know, since the two of you ended things?"

"We ended things a long time ago," he pointed out.

"Right. And, as I recall, you stuffed yourself with chocolate and cream cake afterwards."

"She broke my heart," Hatter said. "Anyways, no. I've been with Alice, and you know…I'm happy. I asked her to marry me."

"You…you asked her to marry you?"

"I would've asked her as soon as I followed her through the looking glass." He waved his left hand at her. "I even got myself a ring."

"Wow. You know, Sarah, she's married with a little girl now."

"Everybody moves on," Hatter said quietly. "You know, there's always going to be something…there." He cleared his throat. "Lets see what you have."

"Oh. Right." Carlotta unwrapped the first roll. "I have three. One for the north, the south, and of course, the city."

"Right. Do you also have the specs for each one?" Hatter leaned forward. "I mean, this place will need to have a prison or something underneath or above to hold someone."

"I don't think he would've taken her very far. I mean some of these places are a couple of hours away even by scarab."

"I didn't know that the Resistance had this many safe houses."

Carlotta spread the last two rolls out on the floor. "I don't think many of them even got used. Actually, most of these here are just abandoned towers from Wonderland's golden age."

"The south doesn't have many."

"Well, it wouldn't. There's the university, but, otherwise it's just farms."

Hatter got down on his knees, and glanced at the map of the north. "What's this place? I mean…those are prison cells beneath all of this, right?"

Carlotta knelt next to him, the ends of her hair falling over his arm. "Sorry. I…wow. I think you may be onto something there. I mean, this fortress is only a half hour from the hospital. Actually, this…"

"What about here?"

"I think the first place would be your best bet. Caterpillar's not a young man, Hatter. I don't think he'll set up, whatever he's setting up, that far from the city."

"He's still in the city?" Hatter asked.

"He's been seen around. Not as much as Dodo, but-"

Hatter's eyes glazed over. "Dodo. Dodo has to be involved somehow."

"Look, I know that you were never a fan-"

"Oi! He shot me!" he exclaimed.

Carlotta gaped at him. "He did?"

"Long story." He sighed, and perused the map of the south. "You're right. This is mostly barns. Fine for the short term, but…"

"Hatter…"

"I should go. I should figure out…something." He stood up, and nervously began playing with his hat. "I need to…I have to get Alice."

She glanced at him. "You're exhausted. Hatter, it's pitch black outside. Just stay here for the night."

"No, I…I have to get Alice."

Carlotta licked her lips. "You can barely stand. Look, I have a big bed in my room, remember? You should sleep."

"Sleep?" Hatter blushed. "Sleep? With you?"

"I didn't mean…the bed is big enough so that we won't be touching."

He chuckled. "You know, it's tempting, but, I should…I should sleep on the couch."

"We've slept in the same bed before."

"Ah, yeah. That was too tempting then. It would be too tempting now."

Carlotta giggled. "Right. I suppose it's not the best thing to suggest that an engaged man sleep in a bed with me." She shook her head. "No. You sleep in the bed. I'll take the couch."

"I can barely move. I don't even think I can get my boots off." Hatter ran his hand over his cheek. "I forgot to shave."

"You look good with facial hair."

"Heh." He sat down, and began to unlace his boots. "Thanks…for helping."

"No problem. Let me go get you a blanket, okay?" He nodded. "Hatter…you'll find her."

"I know." Hatter curled up on the couch. "Even if I have to kill people to get to her. I'll do it."

* * *

><p>Caterpillar's eyes widened as he watched the Suit drag the unconscious form of Robert into the room. "What did you do to him?"<p>

"He tried to run. He discovered that Alice was in the next cell."

"Oh, really?" Caterpillar rolled his eyes. "Who had the brilliant idea of putting Alice in the room next to him?"

"Um…you…"

"No, wait. Don't answer that. Just…wake him up."

"How do we-"

"Slap him! Throw water on him!"

"We don't have any water."

"Then do the first suggestion! How could you incapacitate the one man that we needed?" Caterpillar groaned, and took his glasses off to rub at his eyes. "I have the subject here."

The Suit nodded. "Right." He leaned down, and began to gently tap at Robert's face. "He's not waking up."

"Slap him you bloody idiot!"

Robert flinched as the Suit delivered a hefty slap across his cheek. "Fuck! Ow!"

"Glad to see you're back to the land of the living," Caterpillar said dryly.

"What's…" Robert winced, and looked around. "This isn't the room I was working in before."

"Oh, no. I have two separate stations set up, but, the programs are all connected."

The sound of a woman crying filled his ears, and Robert swerved his head back. She was tied to the chair with a small brown potato sack thrown over her head. "What's…what's going on?"

"You know what's going on," Caterpillar said.

Robert swallowed. "No. I told you, the program isn't one hundred percent there yet. If anything goes wrong-"

"Nothing will go wrong. You very well will know what will happen if you don't do this." Caterpillar walked over to the woman, and pulled the cover off her head. "We're doing this now."

She was crying, her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to lift her arms out of the binds. "Please! Why are you doing this? I don't even…" her voice trailed off as she opened her eyes. "Oh, my god. No. Robert."

He sighed, his chin quivering as he took a step forward. "Carol," he whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Uh oh! Have you guys figured it out yet? And was Carlotta as bad as you thought she was going to be? Hmmm...let me know! The reunion of Alice and Hatter is very, very close!**


	5. Chapter 5

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Thank you everybody so much for the wonderful reviews and support! I'm sorry it took me longer than expected to get this chapter up. I have to thank Lady Irish Rose for being a wonderful collaborator and for telling me to "go there" even when I wasn't sure. Please, if any of you have questions about anything in this story, please let me know. Enjoy!**

Chapter Four

"Wake up," she whispered softly in his ear. Her breath was warm on his neck, and the loose strands from her hair tickled at his chin.

"Mmmmm." Hatter smiled lazily. "Let me sleep in for a bit longer."

Carlotta ran her fingers through his hair. "The sun is rising."

"I need a shower," he mumbled.

"Do you remember where it is?"

"Mmm hmm." He stumbled off the couch, rubbing his eyes as he walked half heartedly down the hall. Hatter shut the bathroom door, and reached over to turn on the shower before directing his attention over to emptying his bladder.

Hatter glanced over at the mirror. He was pale; haggard. His hair was sticking out in all directions, and his eyes were bloodshot. "Right," he muttered. Hatter flushed, and quickly stripped down.

He rest his forehead against the tiled wall, and sighed out in pleasure as the hot water bore down. He let out a moan as he felt a small pair of hands reach around his waist to stroke his cock. "Ohhhh, bloody…oh, that feels so good."

"Sshss."

"We haven't done this in the shower in a while."

"You like it?"

"I love it when you do this." Hatter exhaled, and looked down. "Alice…" He opened his eyes, and stared at the hands. The fingers weren't nearly as long, and there was no ring. He shook his head; the buzzing in his ears getting louder. "No." Hatter pushed her hand away, and turned. "What are you doing?"

Carlotta reddened. "I just…you said some things last night…I thought…"

"Get out."

"Hatter, just because I…we can still take a shower. I mean, we've known each other for fifteen years, you can't-"

"Get…out…" he hissed. He pulled the curtain away to the side. "Now."

She acquiesced. "Hatter, I…" she started to continue as she stepped out of the tub.

"OUT!" His eyes flashed angrily as he watched her pick up her clothes from off the floor. "Fuck…"

* * *

><p>He paused by the doorway, adjusting his hat as he watched her pour the tea. "I'm going to go. No. I…I need to go."<p>

"You need to eat," Carlotta said softly.

Hatter grinned uncomfortably. "No. Eat? No, I need to find Alice."

"Hatter, I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean-"

"Why'd you do that?" he asked bluntly.

She paled. "I don't know. I just thought…I mean you said some things last night, and I thought…well, you've always been interested in-"

"I'm with Alice. I mean you're bloody gorgeous, but…"

"I always wondered why you never tried anything. I mean, tried sleeping with me. You were obviously interested."

"You terrified me," he replied.

Her eyes widened. "I scared you? No. Why?"

"I could never quite get up the nerve to really attempt it, yeah?" Hatter gave her a small smile. "You were always surrounded by-"

"Oh, and you weren't?" Carlotta teased.

"I've always fallen hard for the girls who were unattainable."

"What's the difference with Alice?"

Hatter smirked. "I don't know. Nothing. Everything."

She nodded. "I have something for you." Carlotta strode off into the bedroom. "Just in case."

"Carlotta, I don't need anything-"

"You need this." She walked back in holding a .44 caliber gun. "I don't see one on you."

"Ah, no. Don't exactly have one of those in the Oyster world. We thought that we saw enough of guns for a lifetime."

"Unfortunately, not here."

"I can't take your gun," he protested.

"Yes. You can. You don't even have your body armor anymore!" Carlotta exclaimed.

"Right." Hatter examined the gun. "Brilliant. Thanks."

"What are you going to do once you find Alice?"

"Take her home. At this point I think we've both seen enough of Wonderland for a…" He laughed. "Didn't expect to say that again."

Carlotta scrunched her face up. "I don't quite understand…"

"No. It…it's nothing."

"Right. Are you going to try to find her mother too? I mean, she's not in the same place, I mean, right? What if you can't find her?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought that far yet."

"Do you think that we can just forget about…that whole thing?" she blushed giving him a weak smile.

"It's forgotten."

"Right." She nodded. "Good. So…I shouldn't be seeing you around."

"No."

"Okay." Carlotta reached over, and awkwardly pulled him into a hug. "Good luck, yeah?"

Hatter sighed in relief, giving himself over to the hug for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Right," his voice cracked on the word as he let her go. "Thanks…for…the gun, and stuff. Everything."

"Yeah." She gave him a quick pat on the shoulder, and watched as he shut the door behind him.

* * *

><p>She sniffed. The door to her cell banged open, jolting her awake from her crying jag.<p>

"Food," a rough voice said.

"I don't want anything," Alice whispered.

The Suit didn't say anything. He just slid the plate of bacon and eggs across the floor. Alice watched; her stomach emitting an uncontrolled growl. "Wait." She stood up, and ran to the door. "Where did you take him? My father. What did you do with him?" Alice shook the bars. "Just tell me! You know what happened to him, just…" she sobbed as her tone became pleading. "Why won't you tell me? Why won't anybody-"

Gunshots echoed down the hall, and Alice jumped back. "Oh, god," she murmured. She felt her pulse quicken, and she shook as she watched one of the Suits standing outside the door, collapse down to the ground. "Shit." Her eyes darted out to the hall. Alice let out a scream at the next bang. The Suit yelled as he was cut down dead in mid run. "Oh, fuck," she whimpered.

She bent down, and stumbled as she crawled across the floor over to the far corner of the room. Alice sobbed, drawing her knees to her chest. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no," she cried.

"Alice! Alice! Alice!"

"No! Leave me alone!"

"Alice!" Hatter banged on the bars. "Damn it! Alice! Alice!" He glanced down the hallway. "Look up, Alice!" He could hear the rush of feet hitting the wooden stairs. "Alice!"

"No, please. I don't wanna die. I don't wanna see it," she said in a hushed voice.

"You're not-" Hatter growled. He rose his right arm, punching it through the locked door. Alice screamed, and drew her legs in even closer. "Alice. Alice, please. Please, look at me."

"Hatter? Oh, my god." She trembled. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought it was kind of obvious. I'm here to save you." Hatter gave a light chuckle. "Isn't that what I do?"

"Hatter…" Alice sobbed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Baby." He nuzzled her chin, and gathered her in for a kiss. "Baby, we have to go."

She wiped her nose against her sleeve, and nodded. "What about my dad?"

Hatter froze. "You saw him?"

"He was in the next cell, and…we talked, and…"

"He's not here," he said.

"No. I mean, they took him, and…we have to find him."

"Alice, we have to go. There is nobody else in here except you, and the Suits."

"No, that's not true. We need to find my dad!" Alice jumped up, and started to head the opposite way down the hall.

"ALICE!" Hatter ran after her, and grabbed her by the arm. "He's not here! There's nobody else here!"

"I don't believe you." She jerked his hand away, and continued to rush at the stairs.

"Alice!" He pulled her up, slinging her over his shoulder. "Hold on tight."

"Let me go! My dad's here!" Alice pounded on his back.

Hatter cocked his gun. "Hold on."

"What?"

He shot off a couple of rounds at the Suits entering the room, running the whole way. He felt Alice grip his jacket, her screams muffled against the fabric.

He picked up the pace after they made it past the main entrance. Sweat started to form along his brow, and he could feel a stitch building on his right side. He trudged up the grassy hill to the small patch of trees, and unceremoniously dropped Alice on the ground.

She was sobbing. "Hatter…"

Hatter quickly climbed over her, and pressed her against him. "You're safe. You're safe."

"How did you know where I was?"

"It's a long story." He swallowed. "Alice…"

"I was so scared. I have never been that scared." She snuggled against him. "I can't stop crying."

"Sshss." Hatter kissed the top of her head. "I know. Look, I need to ask you to run. I didn't get all the Suits, yeah? They're going to be coming out soon."

"Did you kill them?" Alice asked quietly.

Hatter closed his eyes. "What do you think?"

"I need to go back and find my father." She scrambled to get up. "He was in the room next to me."

"Alice!"

She started running down the hill only to have Hatter catch up to her. "He's alive! Don't you get it? He's _alive_!"

"Alice, there was no one there. Don't you think that if I had seen him that I wouldn't have grabbed him?"

"Then, where is he?"

"I don't know!" Hatter peered over her shoulder. "We need to regroup, yeah? I promise that we can come back and try looking for your father again, but, we need to go."

"Go where?"

"Somewhere safe."

"That's not good enough."

"Alice!" Hatter growled in frustration. "Do you _really_ think that this is the best time to argue with me?"

She stilled. "No. I guess it's not."

He took her hand, and pressed his lips to hers. "I'm taking you to my home."

"The tea shop?"

"No, I…my home." Hatter bit his lips. "We gotta run."

"Your home? What-" Alice didn't get a chance to say anything, for Hatter tightened his hold on her, and dragged her running through the trees.

* * *

><p>Carol shook her head. "I don't understand. What are you doing here?"<p>

"I…it's a long story."

"One that the two of you can rehash many times over," Caterpillar interjected. "But, for now-"

"I don't understand." Tears started streaming down her face. "I looked for you all day. I…the police couldn't find you. Our daughter, she…" Carol shook her head. "We thought you were dead. No, well, I thought you were dead."

Robert shut his eyes. "It wasn't my fault."

"Where am I…Robert?" she hissed.

Caterpillar chuckled. "You wouldn't believe him if he told you."

"Try me." Carol's eyes darkened. "Who are you?"

"Nobody of consequence."

"I…" She swallowed. "I had just come home from work, and I made myself some coffee when I was attacked in my own house. I woke up in a cell, nobody would answer anything, and now…and now my husband, who I haven't seen for eleven years…"

"I would never have left you and Alice willingly," Robert said quietly.

"Then let me out of here!" Carol struggled to lift her arms. "Why am I…Robert, please."

"I can't do this," he muttered.

"You know, Robert, all I have to do is make one phone call," Caterpillar murmured in his ear. "Just one call, and Alice is…"

"You need to give me more time. I don't think you understand the ramifications of the program not being one hundred percent there."

"We can add the traits in later," Caterpillar scoffed.

"We can add them later?" Robert stared at Caterpillar, his eyes wide. "No. I think you've lost it."

Carol started to cry again. "Please…why won't you let me go? I haven't done anything to you. I just…I just want to go home to Alice."

"There won't be an Alice if you don't do this," Caterpillar whispered.

Robert froze, and choked back a sob. "You promise to let Alice go home if I do this?"

"Alice?" Carol asked. "Why are you talking about Alice?"

"I will send Alice back after you complete the task," Caterpillar said evenly.

"Alice? Wait…are you saying that Alice is here? You have Alice?" Carol screamed. "Where is she? Where is she?"

Robert bent down next to her, and inserted the IV in her vein. "I'm sorry."

"Where is Alice?" she yelled as she tried to lift her arms up. "What have you done with her?"

"Carol, I…I'm so sorry," Robert whispered. He touched the computer screen to start up the program.

"Why are you sorry? Why do you keep saying that you're sorry? What have you done to Alice-" Carol stilled, and let out a high pitched yell. Her eyes shut, and she thrashed in the chair as the blue liquid flowed through the clear line into her blood.

The computer whirled; the screenshot of Carol's brain was quickly diminishing. Caterpillar grinned, and patted Robert on the back. "You did it!" he squealed.

The noise stopped, and a blue box popped up on the screen. "It's done," Robert whispered. SUBJECT'S PERSONALITY ELIMINATED. "Do you think she'll remember?"

Caterpillar knelt down next to Carol. "She's probably in shock. We shouldn't have any issues getting her back-"

Carol's eyes flashed open. She glanced down at her arm, and up at Caterpillar. "Welcome back, Evredee," he smiled.

She reached down, and yanked the IV out. Blood dripped along the length of her arm as she wrestled out of the bindings. "Oh, shit," Robert muttered.

She lunged at the Suit standing guard, and unsheathed his sword. "I would run," she whispered, her voice hoarse. She lifted the sword up, and sent it flying at the Suit; the blade cleanly slicing him in half. "A pity he didn't run fast enough." She pulled the fallen sword out, and examined the blood.

She turned around. "Evredee, I can't tell you how happy I am-" Caterpillar started to say.

"Such a sad, pathetic little man," she murmured. Caterpillar screamed. She jumped up, and arched the sword up as she swung. His scream cut off as his headless body twitched before falling to the ground. Caterpillar's eyes glazed over, and his mouth stayed in a perpetual state of movement as his head rolled.

Robert swallowed. His heartbeat raced as he watched her slither over. "I have always been good with a sword," she said, smiling at him.

"Carol, I-"

"I am NOT Carol!" She rushed at him, the tip of the sword touching his cheek. She blinked, and tilted her head. "I remember you," she said sweetly.

"Just kill me. If you're going to do it, just kill me," he panted out.

She slowly caressed his forehead. "Oh, no, my love. I remember you. And I remember what you did before." She grabbed him, and pulled him in for a kiss. "What did I ever see in kissing you?"

Her ears perked up. "There's people here. They're running." Her lips pursed together, before she broke out in a big grin. "I do enjoy a good chase."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, was it what you expected? I am hoping to get another chapter up before the long weekend. It's my birthday so I won't be around to focus on writing, so keep your fingers crossed I can get it done. Also, in the coming chapters, Carol will no longer be referred to as "Carol" but rather, "Evredee." Let me know your thoughts! **


	6. Chapter 6

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: As promised, here's another chapter for the week! I wanted to be able to get this out to you guys now since , as many of you know, I'm not going to be around this weekend. Thank you all so much for the great reviews, and for the questions that you've posed. I hope this chapter answers some of those that were asked. The concepts that come up in this chapter are all courtesy of many e-mails exchanged with Lady Irish Rose, so thank you! Enjoy!**

Chapter Five

The Suit ran frantically towards the castle. He was drenched in sweat, his clothes ripped in places, and a long bloody gash now ran jagged across his forehead.

He gave one last look behind him before he pushed the door open. "Dodo! Dodo!" he yelled. He sped down the hall, quickly glancing in each open room. "Dodo! DODO!"

Lorry walked around the corner. "What are you yell…what happened?"

"Where's Dodo?" the Suit asked. "I need to speak to Dodo."

"Whatever you have to say to Dodo, you can say to me. He's busy trying to keep things in order now that Jack isn't here," Lorry replied, allowing a small smile to escape.

The Suit grabbed Lorry by the shirt. "He did it. Caterpillar is dead. He brought Evredee back."

Lorry paled. "What?" he whispered.

"You heard me," the Suit hissed.

"Dodo. Dodo! DODO!" Lorry yelled. "DODO!" He took off down the hall with the Suit running after him.

"You know it's quite difficult running a kingdom when people are screaming your name," Dodo remarked as he peered out from the doorway. "Lorry, you look positively ill."

Lorry swallowed. "The old man did it. He brought her back."

"What? What do you mean?" Dodo asked menacingly.

"Caterpillar. He brought back Evredee."

Dodo glanced at the Suit. "How do you know?"

"I was there. I ran, I only barely got out, but, Caterpillar is dead. The others…they, I don't know if anybody survived." He was panting heavily. "I just ran. I…I barely made it out."

"What about Robert?" Dodo asked. He pushed the Suit against the wall. "What did she do to Robert?"

"He's…he's still alive. At least he was when I left."

"Dodo, do you want me to go and tell Jack and, Duchess?" Lorry asked. "I can leave right now."

"No, what are you mad?" Dodo exclaimed. "Why would you even suggest something so stupid? No, no. We'll continue with the plan. We're going to go and get Alice."

"You can't," the Suit spoke up.

Dodo slowly turned to look at him. "What do you mean, I can't?"

"I went to the other place. I thought I could find someone there to help me, but, they're dead."

"Who's dead?"

"The others. The Suits, at least the ones I saw. Alice is gone."

Dodo shook; his face turning a deep red. "HATTER!" he yelled.

"You can't possibly think that Hatter killed Suits trying to get to Alice," Lorry exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh, you don't know him." Dodo chuckled. "He's probably already taken her back through the Looking Glass."

"I don't know about that," the Suit said.

"What do you mean?" Dodo asked.

"She saw her father. He was in the cell next to hers, she started screaming when we took him away to Caterpillar."

"She knows that Robert is alive." Dodo tapped his finger against his chin. "She wouldn't leave without him. Not if all reports from her last visit are accurate."

"What are you saying?" Lorry asked.

"I'm saying…she'll be back. Keep an eye on all the video feed, and alert me to the first sign of Alice." Dodo nodded briskly at the both of them before heading back into the throne room.

* * *

><p>Alice's feet were numb. She could barely feel Hatter's hand in hers. She didn't even know how long they had been running for, or even what direction they were heading in. The trees were a blur. The brown and green flashed so quickly past her that she felt as if she were in a car. Nothing registered.<p>

She heard Hatter sigh out in relief, and it took her a moment to grasp that they weren't moving. "It's still here," he said.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"My house."

Alice looked up, and tried to force her eyes to refocus. "Your house? But, you told me that you lived above the Tea shop."

"My family home. Well, the Hatter family home." He panted, and bent down to catch his breath. "Are you okay?"

"I…" Alice's eyes widened. The house was a small white wooden cottage with dark beams interspaced throughout. The flowers that surrounded the house were all dead, as was most of the grass. A waterwheel was off to the side; rusted still. "This is…it looks like the house in _Sleeping Beauty_. I keep thinking there's going to be an evil fairy, or something showing up at any minute."

"I haven't been here since a couple weeks before I left Wonderland. I would check in on the house every now and then. Sometimes, when I couldn't stand being in the city, I would come here, for like, three days." He bit his lip. "I'm going to have to break in."

"You grew up here?"

"Not really." Hatter jiggled the doorknob, and pushed it loose with his right hand. "I don't know how the food situation is. I may have some biscuits. They're probably stale." He stepped in. "We're going to have to open the windows, it's very moldy…Alice?"

She fell down, sobbing onto the floor. "Hatter…" Alice moaned.

He knelt down, and took her in his arms. "You're safe, yeah? I got you."

"When I heard my dad say my name, I thought it was you. I thought maybe the whole thing was a dream, and you were telling me to wake up." Alice's chin started to quiver. "I thought I was…"

"I love you." His voice was strained. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She reached up to touch his cheek. "You haven't shaved."

"Alice…" Hatter murmured.

"I haven't showered or brushed my teeth in days," she whispered.

"I don't care."

"Me either." She opened her mouth, and let out a moan as his tongue merged with hers. "Oh, god."

Hatter flicked his hat off, and licked his lips. "I missed you."

"Me too. Oh…fuck." Alice gasped as his kissed his way down her neck. "Get in."

He glanced up. "Really?" his voice cracked on the word.

"Do it." She furiously threw her boots off, and got to work on unzipping her jeans. "God! Why didn't I wear a skirt?"

Hatter toed his boots off, and pulled down his trousers. "Don't you know that it's a requirement to wear a dress for all Wonderland trips?" He shrugged off his jacket, and popped off some of the buttons on his shirt before ripping it off.

"I'm sorry." Alice threw her panties, and shirt behind her head. "I was too busy being kidnapped to…ohhhhhh." She arched her back, and emitted a groan as he pushed inside of her.

"Motherfu…" Hatter wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her up close to him.

"Don't talk," Alice mumbled. She lifted her legs up, and linked her ankles together around his waist.

"No talking?" he whispered.

"No talking. Just fill me up, okay?" Alice dug her nails into his back, her breath heavy on his skin.

He scrunched his face up; his eyes shut tight as he jerked erratically. "Can I even say your name?" he panted. Her warm inner walls were clamping down around his cock; the intense heat proving to be too much for him.

"What?"

"I just want to…oh bloody…" He let out a strangled cry, biting down on Alice's neck as he emptied himself. "Alice."

Alice shuddered; her fingers slipping down the sweat on his back. "Wow."

"Uh huh," he squeaked. Hatter cleared his throat. "I mean…wow."

"D-don't leave yet."

"I'm not leaving."

"I mean, don't get out yet." She swallowed, and let out a deep breath. "Hatter…"

"I'm here."

Alice started to cry. "Hatter…"

He slowly thumbed his finger over her cheek. "We'll get him back." Hatter leaned forward and gave her a light kiss. "Yeah?"

"Okay," she said quietly.

"You need to get some sleep. _I _need to get some sleep." He smiled at her. "But, I don't think the kitchen floor is that comfortable."

"I miss our bed."

"There's a big bed upstairs," he whispered.

Alice looked up at him. "Really?"

"I think it might be better than sleeping on the floor."

"It'll be better than sleeping on a cot. It'll also be nice to not, like, pee in a bucket too."

Hatter bit his lip, and let out a whimper as he slid his softened cock out. He exhaled. "I wanted to stay in."

She chuckled wryly. "Me too." Alice turned around. "I should get my clothes back on."

"No. Don't. It's just us." Hatter's eyes roved over her. "I want to hold you."

"Okay," she ventured shyly. She reached for Hatter's hand, and followed him up the stairs. "It's still light out."

"I feel like I could sleep for two days. Don't you?" He pushed open the door to the room to the right at the top of the staircase. "The sheets may not be…I actually don't know when I last washed them."

"I don't care." Alice walked over to the purple queen sized bed. "Your parents'?"

"My parents, my aunt and uncle's…mine." He watched as she climbed into the bed. "It's never looked as good as it does now."

She pulled the blankets up to her chest. "I'm a little bit cold."

"I'm hot." Hatter got in next to her. "Alice, I-"

"Do you promise that we're going to go back for him?"

"Of course."

Alice buried her face in his chest. "Don't leave too," she whispered.

"No." Hatter wrapped his arms around her. "You never have to worry about that."

* * *

><p>Evredee poked at her face. She pursed her lips, and winced. "Twenty five years. Twenty five fucking years." She picked up a brush from the vanity and threw it at the mirror.<p>

Robert jumped back. "You still look good."

"Oh? I _still_ look good? Do you not see the lines? The sagging?" Evredee shook her head, and sighed. "Forget it. I'll have to get it all fixed when I get into the city, and, never mind the hair!"

"I…"

"Now, for the less important thing. I swear if Wonderland doesn't have the rejuvenation therapies…"

"I don't know," Robert said weakly.

"Ah, never mind. I'll fix it somehow." Evredee faced him. "So, tell me, who's the ruler of Wonderland now?"

"Jack."

"Jack? Who's Jack?"

"Your sister's son."

"Mary had a child?" She lifted her eyebrows. "So, she finally managed to rope poor Winston in, huh? So, is she dead or something?"

Robert sighed. "No, she…they're imprisoned."

"Imprisoned?" Evredee chuckled. "I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, er, the branch." She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. All right, so…new plan. I have to kill Jack and everybody else in line to the throne."

"If that's your plan," he said bitterly, "why don't you just kill me?"

"I _told_ you," Evredee replied exasperated, "I need you. You know how to do things I don't."

Robert looked up at her. "What about Alice? Don't you remember our daughter?"

She froze. "I never _asked _for a daughter. I never wanted children." Evredee sidled up next to him. "They ruin everything. You need to tell me why."

He swallowed. "Why, what?" he whispered.

"You were the one who was ordered to kill me, weren't you? I remember before I was knocked unconscious…you were there. So, when you took me through the mirror…why didn't you kill me?" she hissed.

"I wanted to see if my experiment worked."

"No." Evredee shook her head. "That's not the whole reason…is it?"

Robert flinched. "You were pretty," he finally said, softly.

She started to laugh. "I knew you were thinking with your cock!" Evredee clapped her hands for a moment before she settled down. "All right, tell me about the Teas. They were just starting to really perfect the process when I was…forced out."

"There aren't that many left."

"But, there's some? Could you modify them enough so that I could control the people of Wonderland with it?"

"What?" Robert paled. "You can't be serious!"

"When have I ever not been serious? What's the answer, Robert? Can you do it?"

"I-I can, but-"

"I knew it!" Evredee grinned, and threw her arms around him. "And, of course you know what's at risk…if you won't."

He closed his eyes. "Alice?" Robert murmured.

"You got it. You know, I think I would prefer to torture her a little first, just for all the stupid shit she made me listen to _over _and _over_." She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, she was so annoying. So, how do you propose we get the Teas into the city of Wonderland?"

"Caterpillar had some extras in the basement lab. I can access the computer grid for the city, and the easiest way would be to mix it in with the water supply," he explained.

Evredee smiled. "Brilliant! See? I knew that keeping you alive would have its benefits!" She glanced at herself in the broken mirror. "Test it on the Suits that we've moved to the prison cells first. No need in taking an unperfected idea out into the city just yet." Evredee patted his arm as she headed out the door. "You can start now."

"Where are you going?"

"I need some more clothes, or least…not Carol clothes. Seriously? She dresses horribly. There has to be something better in here with all of these rooms."

"Oh."

"Don't forget." Evredee smiled sweetly at him. "If you don't…well, I will kill Alice first, and then kill you. There's nothing like watching your daughter die in front of you…is there?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, that Evredee/Carol is not a nice person, is she? Again, if you have any questions please let me know. More things are getting revealed with each chapter. Have a great long weekend everybody!**


	7. Chapter 7

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Thank you everybody for the kind birthday wishes! I appreciate the continued support for this crazy story even though I am taking our poor characters on a wild ride, and putting them in situations that a lot of us don't like. This chapter is being posted tonight for Lady Irish Rose who has been a wonderful collaborator, and also today is her birthday. Read her story **_**Hatter on a Hellmouth**_** if you haven't been already! Enjoy, guys!**

Chapter Six

Hatter shivered, pulling the blanket tighter over his shoulders. He flipped into his side, and reached his arm across to draw Alice closer. Hatter grunted.

He blinked, and glanced at the empty space next to him. "Alice?" he murmured. He looked around the room. "Alice?"

Hatter climbed out the bed, wincing as the muscles in his legs throbbed. "Alice?" His ears perked up at the sound of water running. "Alice?"

He pushed the bathroom door open. The room was filled with steam, and he could make out Alice's bare leg peeking out from behind the curtain. "Hatter?" she called out.

"Yeah, I…you weren't in the bed," he concluded lamely. "Can I join you?"

She moved the curtain to the side, smiling at him. "Sure." Alice stepped back under the shower spray, and rinsed the rest of the suds out of her hair. "I'm sorry. I just felt so gross after not…cleaning anything for days."

"You're lucky there was even shampoo and soap here."

"And razors." Alice grinned. "I feel more human now that my legs and underarms are shaved."

Hatter slowly trailed a hand down her thighs. "Feels good."

"I had trouble with the water at first."

"Ah, yeah." He started to kiss alongside her neck. "My father thought it would be funny to make the cold side hot, and the hot side cold. At least, that's what my uncle told me."

Alice paused. "You know…" She shook her head, and lathered up the soap. "I don't know what this is, but we're taking it home with us. I've never smelled anything so sweet."

Hatter grinned, and took the thick lavender bar from her. "I don't think you really want to know the truth about the soap."

"What? Well, now you have to tell me." Alice giggled, and kissed his cheek.

"Okay, but don't say that I didn't warn you. This soap is made from the secretions of JubJub birds." Hatter scooted over, and ducked under the water. "The sexual secretions of JubJub birds."

"What?" she exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah. It's a whole business here in Wonderland. They breed the birds, and when a male and female mate, or even when a male JubJub bird is aroused, they have these, like, buckets that collect the drippings."

"Oh, my god! So…then they make the soap out of the…stuff?" Alice looked at the bar of soap, horrified.

"JubJub bird semen is surprisingly sweet stuff."

"Wonderland is so weird. You know, finish up, so we can get started with the day." Alice was about to step out when Hatter took her hand. "Yes?"

"No sex in the shower?" he asked.

She gave him a small smile. "We shouldn't have even had sex last night."

"Why? It was bloody amazing, and…I needed it."

"Me too, but, you didn't have a condom, and I haven't been taking my pull since I was, you know, kidnapped, so…"

Hatter paled. "Oh…fuck."

"Exactly." Alice walked over to the sink. "Why are there handles in the shape of hats for the water here?"

"Ah." He chuckled. "My dad again." He rinsed the rest of the shampoo out of his hair, and shut the water off. "He was…odd."

"A bit mad?" she joked.

"Um…maybe."

Alice picked up the lone toothbrush. "Looks like we have to share."

"Oh, no!" Hatter gave her a look of mock terror. "My yucky germs. I don't think your mouth can handle them."

"Ha ha. My mouth has handled worse."

"Ohhhh, right. You kissed Jack. Yeah, that was pretty bad."

She spit out the toothpaste. "I was thinking more like…when you came in my mouth." She giggled as she handed him the toothbrush.

"Alice!"

"I'm kidding." Alice gave him a light pat on his bare butt as she snaked behind him. "Do you have any towels or anything?"

"Oh, I have better." Hatter put the toothbrush back in the cup. "Well, as long as they're not moldy." He playfully danced his way over to the linen closet. "Ta da! Robes! One purple, one blue. Which one do you prefer?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Whichever one the girl you brought here didn't wear."

"Right. So, that would be the blue," he muttered.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Lovely."

"Well, you do look lovely in the blue. I know I can make us some tea, and maybe find something edible in the house."

"Okay." She snickered as she watched Hatter tighten his robe. "Beautiful legs."

Hatter glanced down. The bottom of the purple robe stopped just above his knee. "You like them. You think they're sexy."

"Oh…yeah." Alice giggled, and took his hand as they walked down the stairs. "How come you have electricity? I mean, you haven't been here, right?"

"Wonderland is not like your world in people pay for stuff like that, Alice. We never had to pay, it just depended on the kindness of the regime, yeah?"

She scrunched her face up. "I don't understand."

Hatter nodded towards the old table. "Sit down. I'll get the tea ready."

"And…food?" she asked, hopefully.

"I think we're screwed with that." He opened up some of the cabinet doors, and made a face. "So, under the Queen of Hearts we didn't always have power. Well, I did since I was a Tea seller, but, she could take it away from anywhere she chose. Somehow, I don't think that's the case with Jack."

"Don't sound so disappointed," she said wryly.

Hatter set out the cups as he waited for the stovetop to heat up. "Jack will always be a bloody idiot."

She looked around the room. "You know…you told me your parents died, and your brother, but…this house, I don't…"

"Right. Yeah." He poured the hot water into the prepared cups. "I don't have any milk or sugar."

"Hatter…"

He sat down next to her, and handed her the steaming hot drink. "I don't really remember them. I just heard things, or saw pictures. I was three or four when they died. Not sure. My brother was eight." Alice took a sip of the tea, and waited for him to continue. "They were executed, their heads were cut off in a public display for treason, or-"

"Oh…my god," Alice whispered. "The Queen ordered the execution of your parents? No wonder you hated Jack."

"No, it wasn't her. It was…someone else. I think she may have been even more insane than the Queen."

"Not possible."

"Everything's possible. My father…Teas were just starting out, but there was a backlash from the beginning, and he worked for the Resistance because he wanted to help, and then…he tried one of the Teas."

Alice closed her eyes. "Oh, no."

Hatter shrugged. "He got caught stealing some Tea, and um…they came to pick up my mother. I remember the Suits taking her away, but…nothing else. The Queen, or whatever people called the ruler at the time, called it treason, but I think she just wanted to kill someone."

"Sounds like the Queen."

"It does, yeah?" He chuckled weakly.

"So…what happened?"

"My dad's brother and his wife moved in here, and took care of us, sent us to school, and then…the Queen of Hearts took over, and the Teas were everything here, and…they got addicted."

Alice shook her head. "Oh, my god."

"So, my brother and I left the house, and my aunt and uncle died of too much Tea. An overdose or something. I was sixteen, and…" Hatter sighed. "Life hasn't been too happy here, yeah?"

"I suppose my life has been pretty much perfect compared to that."

"I don't think anybody's life is perfect."

She nodded. "No. You're right, but, I have a chance to get some things back to normal. I mean, my dad…"

"Alice…"

"We need to go and find Charlie."

Hatter's eyes widened. "Charlie? What are you, mad?"

"Maybe." She bit her lip. "We need help, Hatter. With Caterpillar being the one who ordered me to be taken…who knows if he did something to Jack?"

"I think he was trying to take down Jack," Hatter said quietly.

"Well, there you go. Look, we know Charlie, we can trust Charlie."

"I don't know if that's the right word," he muttered. "Look, lets just stay here one more night to think everything through."

"One more night?" Alice exclaimed. "No. I mean, besides the fact that we need to eat, I mean, my father is alive. He's being held somewhere out there by Caterpillar, and…I need to get him back."

"But, Charlie?" Hatter moaned.

"I'm going to find him without you."

"Now you're really talking mad."

She pushed her chair back and stood up. "Are there clothes here? I mean, I would love to wear something semi clean."

"Yeah. There's closets upstairs. Alice-"

"You promised me that we would get him back," she interjected.

Hatter stood up, and wrapped his arms around her. "We will. I just think we need to plan this whole thing out better."

"So says the guy who told me that a pink flamingo was our best chance of escaping."

"Ah, you're throwing that in my face, yeah?" He grinned.

"I'm asking _you _to trust me this time," Alice whispered. She removed herself from his hold, and started to head up the stairs.

"Oh. Right."

* * *

><p>The two Suits opened the door, and pushed Robert through. "I have to ask you to tell your minions that I don't need to be handled so roughly," he muttered.<p>

Evredee giggled. "I'm sorry about that, darling. I like thinking of you as my own little prisoner. Is it so wrong that sometimes I like to act the part? I mean…I was your prisoner in a way, was I not?"

Robert stiffened. "Why did you bring me up here?"

"Oh." She winked at him, and gestured to the Suits in the room with her. Many of them were in various stages of undress, some of them were even completely naked as they milled around the room. "I think we can safely say that your whole idea of poisoning the water with the Teas was quite, um, successful." Evredee sidled up next to one of the Suits. "You love me don't you?"

"I adore you," the man replied fervently.

"It worked," Robert whispered.

"Why do you look so surprised? I mean, are you losing faith in yourself?" Evredee jumped over to him, and began to stroke at his beard. "I'm feeling like a visit to the city is in order. I think you need to start the program for the Teas to be sent through the pipes there."

"Why?"

"Oh, you know why." She smiled. "What Teas did you add to the water here?"

Robert swallowed. "A combination. Loyalty, Love, Patriotism."

"Send them through the pipes to the city."

"No…"

"Yes! It worked this fast here, think of all the people in the city of Wonderland who'll be under my control. By the time I get there," she rubbed her hands together. "it'll already have started. And as for those who resist the change, well, I have always loved public executions." Evredee licked her lips. "I remember the last ones I ordered. The Hatters. You know, I wonder if they had any descendents. I mean, that would be kismet, would it not, to start my rule again by executing the son or daughter of the ones I finished on before."

Robert whipped his head up. "Stay away from that idea," he hissed.

"Stay away? What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything."

"Oh, but you are. What about the Hatters?"

He closed his eyes. "Our daughter is engaged to one."

Evredee froze. "Right. I met him. I mean, Carol met him. I remember…oh. That little bitch. That sneaky little bitch." She laughed. "All along. I had a Hatter in my house. You know, it's really unbelievable to me."

"What is?"

"Oh, well, Alice is rather homely, isn't she? I think she took after your family in looks, sadly. Hard to believe that she managed to land someone like him." Evredee smirked. "I suppose she must have some tricks in the sack, like her mother."

Robert shook his head. "What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing. In fact, I think I'm completely sane. The rest of you are mad. I'm going to send some of my lovely Suits out to find this young Hatter."

"Why? What are you planning to do?"

"Do? Lets see, a relatively good looking young man…I think I'll have a bit of fun with him, show him a couple of things in the bedroom that even Alice couldn't do." She grinned. "Poor Alice. She'll cry, and cry once she realizes that I've taken him for my own."

"How do you even know he's here?"

"Oh, but he is. The so-called love of his life has been taken back to his world…he'll be here."

"You're sick," Robert spat out.

Evredee flew at him; throwing him against the wall. "_I'm _sick? I'm not the one who changed someone's personality, and created this whole little fake family life. You did. You're the sick one. You made me be someone I wasn't, and you enjoyed her didn't you? Carol? You enjoyed what you created, sticking your cock in there?"

"Shut up," he whispered.

"No. Because it's the truth, and you know it. If I'm sick, then you're just as sick as I am." She giggled. "Poor Alice. That doesn't bode well for her state of mind. Now, go."

"I can't let you do this."

"Uh, yeah you can. Because if you don't…Alice dies. If you do, I'll keep her alive, maybe not so happily, but, she'll be alive."

He shook his head. "You couldn't do that. Not to Alice."

"Wanna bet? There were some lovely Diamond girls here earlier, I suppose they came to see their boyfriends or whatever." She shrugged. "They were too pretty so I killed them. I didn't know them. I can kill Alice. So, I'm going to leave for the city soon. You, um, better go and set everything up."

"No…no…no!" he yelled as she nodded at the Suits to drag him out.

Evredee rolled her eyes. "Seriously? He's _so _overdramatic. So! Who's up for a threesome?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: More stuff is getting revealed! I hope you guys are able to follow along with the jumping back and forth. Please let me know if there are any questions that you have and I'll do my best to answer them. I have quite a few chapters plotted out just so I can keep myself straight as well :) Let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Thank you everybody so much for the great reviews for the last chapter! I'm happy to hear that you guys are enjoying this crazy little story. This chapter is shorter and mainly filler, but it addresses a couple of things that will be coming up again later. I have to thank Brumeier, and Lady Irish Rose for their suggestions for this specific chapter with little things that needed to be figured out. Have fun, guys!**

Chapter Seven

Alice smoothed out the long white skirt, and twirled around, glancing at her reflection in the mirror.

"Part of me thinks that it'll be really wrong to tell you how bloody hot you look in that dress," Hatter remarked from the doorway.

She smiled. "What would be so wrong with telling me that?" Alice turned to face him. The bottom of the dress was a contrast to the top. While the skirt was flowy, and soft, the top was corset style, light blue with lace edging; hugging her in tight. "It's one of the few things I could find that actually fit. The rest of the stuff was just…blech."

"That was my mother's. There's a picture of her wearing it at some party with my father."

"Oh. Well, it's very pretty, kind of like a princess dress, although I certainly would prefer pants you know, because of the whole rescue deal." Alice pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "So, tell me how pretty I look. Just because your mother looked good in it doesn't mean it's dirty for you to think your fiancée looks good in it too." She giggled as Hatter cupped her breasts over the fabric. "It's not like you have an Oedipal complex. You're not Nero, or you know, Oedipus, lusting sexually after your mother."

"Noooo…" Hatter drew out. "But, I think I would be in real big trouble if you were my mother because I don't know if that would've stopped me."

"Ewwwwww!" she exclaimed. She slapped him on the arm. "That's really gross. Okay, I need to find some shoes. I know, it doesn't matter, but I keep thinking that the boots I have here just don't go with the outfit."

He laughed. "Somehow, I don't think it matters what you wear on a rescue mission."

"I found these in the closet." Alice leaned down, and picked up a pair of black patent leather heels. "Goes great with the dress. But, not good for running in the woods."

"No, but…" He ran his finger over the leather. "I think you should take these home though."

"Ah, you do realize that these were probably your mother's too, and she may have worn them for your father."

Hatter groaned. "Are you saying things like that on purpose?"

Alice giggled. "Well, I think we need to talk about your change of clothes." She pointed to the tight red corduroy trousers he was wearing. "Those are so tight that I can make out your…bits."

He did a little turn. "They're kinda old. But, I think the whole look works." Hatter tightened the leather jacket around the collar, and pulled down the yellow shirt.

"I thought you claimed that it didn't matter what one wears for a rescue mission."

"No, but-"

"But, nothing." Alice zipped her boots up. "How long is it going to take us to get to Charlie's?"

"You still have the bloody awful idea in your head?"

"It's not! Look, we need someone else to help us, we can't just, you know, run in somewhere and get my father."

"Need I remind you that Charlie ran off when you were being taken away by the Suits? In fact, I think I remember it as I came in with a sword, and attempted to rescue you," he pointed out.

"Look, I know that Charlie may not be the most reliable-"

"May not be? Let's try…not at all!"

"Hatter, he came back. When it mattered, it came back, and he also went with you to rescue me from the doctors."

He fixed the straw hat back on his head. "But…what if we can't find your father? There is a possibility that, well, I don't know…"

Alice shook her head. "No! My father is alive. What if you woke up and found your parents were both back? I mean…I lost ten years with my dad, he died in front of me, and now…"

"I know," Hatter said quietly.

"Do you? We're getting married. I have a chance now to have my whole family together, I can make my mom happy." She sniffed. "I know we didn't want a traditional Oyster wedding, as you called them, but, I never realized how much I want my father there."

He gathered her into a hug. "Okay. We'll do whatever it takes to find your father."

"I know that my mom is going to be freaking out about us being gone, but, just think about it. Think about how happy she'll be when we show up at home with my dad."

"Alice, I…" Hatter hesitated, and gaped for a moment before he clamped his mouth shut. "You're right. Your mum's going to be so happy."

* * *

><p>Lorry slammed the door behind him. "Dodo, we need to get out. We have to get out of the city."<p>

Dodo looked up from the stack of papers he was perusing, and gave Lorry a wary glance. "Unless if you're here to tell me that Alice has been spotted, I really don't see the need for dramatics."

"No, it's not Alice. Evredee…she's done something."

"Done something? What do you mean?" Dodo's eyes widened. "What are you saying? She's _here_?"

"She's somewhere in the city. Not in the castle, but…" Lorry opened the door. "She got in somewhere that houses one of the mainframes."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't…just, we have to leave." Lorry shook his head. "She did something to the city; the people."

Dodo rushed past Lorry, and ran down the stairs to the main entrance. He flung the doors open, and halted as he stepped out onto the cobbled street that made up the city's downtown. The giant screens which wrapped around the buildings were switched on. They had been dormant since the fall of the Queen of Hearts after they were no longer needed to flash information about the Teas and Casino.

"Who is that?" Dodo whispered. He pointed to the screen in front of him. Evredee's face was alight. She was smiling; preening as she spoke of a new Wonderland golden age. A ticker proclaiming, "Long live the Queen!" ran underneath her talking head.

"Who do _you _think that is?" Lorry hissed.

Dodo whipped his head around. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. Robert must've…Caterpillar, I don't know. One of them had access to the main server, or showed her how to use it, something." Lorry looked about uncomfortably. "Look at the people, Dodo."

"People? I don't hear anybody."

"Look! They're not talking!"

Dodo startled. They were surrounded. Hundreds upon hundreds of people were standing, watching the screens. They were all smiling; their eyes glazed over. "What are they doing?"

Lorry shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. They've been like this since she came on."

"They look like they're high on Tea," Dodo whispered.

"That's not possible. There isn't anymore Tea…is there?"

"Robert," Dodo said evenly. "As Carpenter he knew how to manipulate…and if there were stashes of Tea hidden away…"

"What? They used the Tea to…no, no, Dodo. How would they have gotten Tea to all these people? One drop of the Tea before would make you feel it." Lorry waved his hand in front of a woman's unblinking eyes. "It's like they've been dunked in Tea."

Dodo slowly turned around. "The pipes."

"What?"

"They fed Tea through the pipes." He chuckled. "Just think, one drop of Tea can affect your emotions, but, imagine taking a shower in Tea. It's getting through every bit…oh, she's smart. She's evil, but, she's smart."

"But, not everybody showered today," Lorry pointed out.

"No, but they would have their morning tea, wash the dishes…"

"Oh…fuck."

"Oh, fuck is right," Dodo agreed.

"But, we're fine. I had some-"

"Did you really think the royal family would _share _their water with the whole of Wonderland?" Dodo sneered. "They have their own private well that runs water through the castle."

"Okay, fine, but, Evredee is _here_…we need to get out!"

"I know. We're going to get in one of the Scarabs and find out where Evredee has been keeping Robert."

"How do we know that she hasn't brought him here?"

Dodo rolled his eyes. "Where would she put him here where he would have access to the Teas? Are you stupid or something?"

"You still planning on killing Alice?" Lorry asked.

"Not just yet. We need to get access to the throne first."

Lorry grabbed Dodo by the arm. "You promised me that the Resistance would have the throne!" he hissed.

"And we will." Dodo's eyes darted back and forth. "You know how Wonderland works. The Whites are gone, and we have someone for the Reds in Alice."

Lorry's eyes widened in understanding. "You're going to take it through Alice?"

Dodo grinned. "We use her father's invention to change her, use her to kill off her family, and as her dearly beloved husband…I become King."

* * *

><p>Evredee lifted up the ends of her long skirt as she slowly made her way around the spiral staircase. She gripped the sword in her right hand, allowing a small smile to escape before she pushed the door open.<p>

She flipped on the light switch, and blinked as the small room was flooded with a bright yellow light. She quietly walked over to the cell, rapping the edge of the sword against the bars. "Hello, Mary," Evredee smiled. "I see that time has not served you well."

"Who are you?" Mary, the former Queen of Hearts asked. Her once flaming red hair was now ragged, and streaked with thick spots of gray. Her face was heavily lined, her lips pale, and her once royal robes had been replaced with a dingy gown.

Winston had thinned down. His hair was practically all gone, and the deep bags under his eyes painted a picture of a lot of sleepless nights.

"I'm surprised you don't recognize me. Although, I don't know why I should be surprised. It has been twenty five years," Evredee said calmly.

"Twenty five…" Mary inched her way over to the door. "It can't…" She gasped. "No. No, you're dead."

Evredee grinned. "Hello, little sister. I believe the last time we saw each other, I was on the other side of these bars."

"You're dead," Winston said. "You were supposed to be killed when you were brought over to the other side of the Looking Glass."

"Oh." Evredee smiled. "You knew I wasn't dead, Winston. In fact, you knew a lot of things. I mean, it was you who ordered Robert to be taken back and turned into Carpenter."

"What?" Mary whispered. "Carpenter's back?"

"Well, no. Robert is back. Caterpillar brought him back, but, it doesn't matter because Caterpillar's dead now, and um, he brought me back to…take over." Evredee shrugged. "They used Robert's invention on me except , well, hehe it didn't quite work since…tada! I'm still kind of evil." She watched as Mary's face whiten. "Oh, Winston didn't tell you that Robert is really from Wonderland? Yeah, he is. Apparently, your Tea people didn't have Robert's finesse, so your husband ordered him to be found and then used Robert's invention on himself to turn him into Carpenter."

"You did what?" Mary growled at Winston.

"I did it to save Wonderland," Winston replied tightly.

"I believe he even got the reports that someone looking like me was alive and happily married to Robert, but, he didn't feel the need to bring me back to Wonderland."

"How do you know all this?" Winston asked.

"I've had some time to catch up on my reading. You kept such wonderful diaries under lock and key, so well hidden that even your son couldn't find them, didn't you, Winston?" Evredee replied.

"You were mad!" Winston yelled.

"Well, it turned out that you married another mad one." Evredee snickered. "You've had both Heart sisters, didn't you?"

"What?" Mary glanced at Winston, and then back at Evredee. "You didn't."

"Your dear husband hasn't told you a lot of things. Well, it happened the year before I was…deposed." Evredee looked at Winston. "We fucked. We fucked a couple of times actually…um…"

"What are you doing here? Jack is on the throne now," Winston said.

"Well, my plan is to find Jack and kill him." Evredee giggled. "You know, I remember meeting him. Or actually, as Carol, meeting him. He came over for dinner to see Alice. They had a relationship." She broke out in a fit of laughter. "They're cousins, and they…did stuff! Oh, my dear daughter is going to be so shocked when she learns of this. God, I hope they didn't sleep together-"

"You can't kill Jack!" Winston interjected.

"Oh, she can kill Jack," Mary said. "She killed our parents. I mean, that was why she was ordered to be executed. So, go ahead. Kill Jack. Are you going to kill us too?"

Evredee unlocked the door to the prison cell. "Do you know what this is?"

Mary's eyes widened. "The Vorpal sword. But, how-"

"Oh, simple. Your son had it out on display in the war room. I guess he thought that Wonderland's history should be available for all to see."

Mary glowered at Winston. "He gets that stupidity from _your _side of the family."

"And, what? You're going to kill us with that?" Winston swallowed.

"You got it…lover." They both let out a scream as she lowered the sword down on their heads.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I went there. I had to address the whole "Jack and Alice dated thing" because of course I couldn't let that go by. More will be coming with that, and please...you have any questions, send them my way. I know that there's so much stuff going on with different characters and of course how it relates to the mini series and everything, so let them rip!**


	9. Chapter 9

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the great questions that you guys left in your reviews! I hope that this chapter will answer some of them for you, and of course more will be coming. And please, as always, send questions my way. I do know that some of plot lines are kind of confusing so if any of you need something clarified…let me know! I want you all to read Live4Sunshine's **_**Wonderland Sunshine**_**, the latest chapter had me cracking up! Enjoy!**

Chapter Eight

Alice kept her eye warily on the gun. Hatter was holding it out; his eyes darting around the woods. She was getting hot. Sweat was already starting to drip down her neck, causing the loose hairs from her ponytail to flatten against her skin.

She shrugged off the dark jacket that Hatter found in the downstairs closet off her shoulders, and groaned. "Do you really think having that gun out is necessary? I mean we're just going to see Charlie, not…ouch!"

Alice let out a small yelp, and watched as a green mark in the shape of a rose entwined with thorns formed on her arm. "Damn it."

"What?" Hatter turned around, and glanced down. "Was that there before?"

"No! Why do you think I said 'ouch?' I mean, I wasn't just saying it for kicks." Alice furrowed her brow. "It's a different one than before. I've been here for days."

"Mostly covered up or inside, yeah?" Hatter shrugged. "It's kind of sexy, I really think-"

"No! It's like saying, 'Hi, everybody! Oyster cross-'"

He rushed behind her, clamping his hand over her mouth. "Shut up," he hissed. "Do you really want to get us killed?"

Alice yanked his hand away. "No. And look, I really think that you can put the gun away. We're just going to Charlie's-"

Hatter shook his head. "Are you forgetting something?" When Alice just shrugged, and gave him a blank stare, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at her. "The Jabberwocky? Remember? That big dragon thing?"

"Can't you just punch it again? I mean, it worked out well last time."

"Punch it?" He lifted his arms up in exasperation. "Do you just want me to go around punching things?"

"Just the Jabberwocky," she replied.

"Just the…" Hatter took her hand. "Just stay close. At least Charlie would have swords."

"No, look, we're just going to see if Charlie can help with rescuing my father. We're not going off looking for swords and-"

"How do you expect us to pull off a rescue mission without swords?" Hatter exclaimed.

"I…" Alice shrugged. "I don't know."

He gave her one more look, and gripped her hand in his as they continued to trudge through the thick fallen leaves. "I still think you're mad for wanting to go see Charlie."

"I just have this feeling that he could be a lot of help to us."

"Hmm, well I hope your feeling is right." Hatter pushed the bushes away. "Because we're here."

"Oh." Alice glanced around. "That was quick."

"Not really. We were walking for a good four hours or so." He pursed his lips. "Is four hours quick to you?"

"I didn't realize…I feel like I've been playing some kind of movie over and over in my head. I don't think I was paying much attention to anything."

"So, you wouldn't have even noticed if a Jabberwocky was peeking through the trees?"

"Is a Jabberwocky peeking through the trees?"

"Well, no," Hatter ceded. "Never mind."

Alice grinned. "I see Charlie!"

"He's asleep!" Hatter exclaimed in disbelief.

"We'll wake him up." Alice practically skipped over to the hammock where Charlie was curled up next to his teddy bear. "Believe me, Hatter, he'll be so happy to see us."

"He's not doing his knightly duties very well if he has no bloody idea that we're here in the first place," he muttered.

"Charlie! Charlie! You need to wake up! Charlie!" Alice shouted into the slumbering knight's ear.

The knight yelled, and let the teddy bear go flying through the air as he tumbled down to the ground. He scrambled for his sword, fixing the bottom of his suit as he turned towards them.

"I'll have you know that I have a full army…" Charlie started to boast before he blinked his eyes and stared at them. "No! Yes! TheAlice…no, JustAlice…you're…"

Alice smiled shyly. "Hi, Charlie."

"This must be a dream. I must still be asleep. Yes, that's it…" Charlie looked at Hatter. "And I must be having some kind of nightmare if the harbinger is here. Yes, that's it. A terrible nightmare," he muttered.

"Oi! I-" Hatter started to rush at him before Alice pulled him back. "No. No! Alice, I am sick and tired of this. I'm not-"

Alice jabbed him in the side, and took Charlie's hand. "It's not a dream. Or, er, a nightmare."

Charlie picked up a loose strand of her hair, and rubbed it between his fingers. Hatter's face turned red as he watched Charlie take a long sniff, and he was about to move forward again when Alice was suddenly picked up and swung around in a joyous hug.

"You've returned! JustAlice! Awwww!" Charlie froze, and slowly set her back down. "Wait…why are you here? Both of you…" He picked up Alice's hand and examined the diamond solitaire. "Ah, I see. So the young Hatter _finally _decided to mend his wild ways, eh? You're here for a Wonderland wedding! I can see it now, the wreath of gold-"

"Oi! If he insults me _one _more time, I'm going-" Hatter fumed.

"Ah, no. Charlie we're not here for a Wonderland wedding, although I'm interested in hearing more of this wreath of gold. We're here because I need your help," Alice interjected.

"Oh. Of course. Whatever the Alice of Legend needs, I, a knight, will offer my humble services." Charlie bent down into a deep bow.

"We need your help in rescuing my father."

"Your father?" Charlie looked skeptically at Alice. "I thought your father died when the Casino fell."

"Nothing really seems to stay dead in Wonderland," Hatter muttered.

Alice glared at Hatter. "Anyways, no, he did die, but, like, Caterpillar brought him back or something. I know, it doesn't make much sense but-"

"Wonderland doesn't ever make sense," Charlie said smiling. He let out a small giggle as he rubbed his hands together. "I wonder what kind of old magic they used. I myself have the power to call upon-"

"Charlie!" Hatter shouted, his frustration evident in his voice.

"Right, right." Charlie nodded. "Well, I will do whatever the JustAlice wishes. I would tell you both not to go into the city of Wonderland though. Bad things there, very bad things."

Hatter sighed, and placed his hands on his hips. "What are you talking about, Charlie?"

"Someone was brought back through the Looking Glass."

"Yeah. Me," Alice replied.

Charlie turned around. "No. I wasn't talking about you. It's the Princess Evredee…she's back."

Hatter paled. "What do you mean?"

"They found her. In the Oyster world after twenty five years," Charlie said dreamily.

"No. She's dead. She was executed twenty five years ago."

"Apparently not if she's still alive." Charlie rolled his eyes. "It's like you're not even listening to me. Princess Evredee is very much alive and well." He smacked his lips together. "So, who's hungry? I believe I have some borogoves, and I remember how much JustAlice liked them…" his voice trailed off as he headed over to the fire pit.

"See? I told you that it would be a good idea…Hatter…Hatter?" Alice snapped her fingers at him.

He was staring at her. "What?"

"You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you okay?"

Hatter swallowed; plastering a smile on his face. "No, I'm…I'm fine."

* * *

><p>Dodo pushed the door open. "This is the last place we'll check today. Let's hope there aren't too many dead bodies this time, they tend to stink up the place."<p>

"What if Robert isn't here? What if Caterpillar moved him…what if Evredee moved him?" Lorry asked.

"Calm down. He's somewhere. Look, if he's not here we'll spend the night in Scarab," Dodo replied. "Bullet proof windows, a queen sized bed-"

"Only one bed!"

"Well, I'm not sharing!" Dodo walked down the stairs, and opened the gated door. "Aha."

Lorry peered over his shoulder. "Aha, what?"

"We found it." Dodo nodded over at the cells. Most of them will filled with the Suits still in various states of undress. "Well, let me do a little test first."

"Test?"

"Yes." Dodo clapped his hands, and shouted, "I am here with a message from Evredee! She will be returning shortly!" The men broke out in cheers. "Yeah. This is the right place."

"How could she have done this here?"

Dodo rolled his eyes. "Not everybody is as stupid as Caterpillar. Do you really think that she was going to have Robert send the Teas to the city without testing them out first? No, she tried it out on the Suits here, and my guess is they're still being pumped out for them."

They walked down the next flight of stairs. "If Robert is still here…but Evredee isn't…then why won't he just leave?" Lorry asked.

"And if she came back, and saw him gone?" Dodo chuckled. "Wouldn't there be hell to pay?" He opened the door. "Hello, Robert."

Robert whipped around. "Dodo."

"I would ask you where Evredee is, but, since I just came from the city…"

"She's setting up in the castle there," Robert said quietly. "I'm assuming it worked then?"

Dodo smiled. "Oh, you know it has. Were you also the one who instructed her on how to get into the mainframe? To turn on the video screens?"

"You don't understand," Robert whispered.

"Oh, no…I do. But, everything you have done has caused us problems, Robert. I mean, we don't want Evredee on the throne."

"Who does?"

"I do have to applaud you for your brilliance though, Robert. I mean, Lorry and I have only dreamed of getting the kind of adoration that Evredee has received, and _you're_ the one who has figured out how to set it up." Dodo laughed. "I wish I had thought of it!"

Robert shook. "What do you want, Dodo?"

"How long is Evredee going to be in the city?"

"Some time. She…she said that she had a lot to do there."

"I'm sure she does. Which is why Lorry and I are going to stay here for a little while, and wait for our plan to fall into our lap."

"What are you talking about?" Robert hissed.

Dodo grinned. "Oh, come on, Robert. You know how Wonderland works. It starts to disintegrate unless a White or Red is on the throne, and now granted, that ruler may totally fuck up Wonderland, but at least it won't die."

"Spit it out."

"With the Resistance on the throne, there could actually be a chance of something good for Wonderland," Lorry jumped in.

"You have Jack!" Robert exclaimed.

Dodo snorted. "Oh, Jack was a pawn. He always was a pawn, even from the beginning." He shook his head. "No. I have a certain relative of Jack's in mind though."

Robert tensed up. "What do you mean? The Queen of Hearts is imprisoned."

"Oh. I'm not talking about Jack's mother, Robert. I'm talking about his dear cousin."

"Cousin? I wasn't aware that the King had any cousins."

"Oh, he does." Dodo smiled. "Or, have you forgotten about your daughter?"

"Alice? But…"

"She _is _Jack's cousin. I mean, haven't you realized that?"

"No." Robert shook his head emphatically. "No, you can't do that!"

"Oh, yes. Yes, I can." Dodo grinned widely. "Lorry…lock him up."

* * *

><p>Alice peeled off the last of the meat from the bone, and sucked it down. "I still don't know what a borogove looks like, but I have to say…it tastes a lot like chicken." She wiped her hands, and threw the bone behind her. "So, I think it would be best for us to leave after we finish eating."<p>

Hatter glanced at Alice, and then at Charlie. "Charlie, how…how do you know that Evredee is back? I mean, we're talking about someone who's been gone for twenty five years."

"Ah, well, it's very simple. I'm tuned into things around me. All I have to do is reach into the depths of my mind…" Charlie chuckled, and shrugged. "No, I…I went into the city. I was going to meet with the King, but I knew something was wrong. I am still aware, you know?"

"Did you see her? Evredee, I mean?" Hatter asked.

"Oh. Of course. She's on all the screens! She's all over the city of Wonderland." Charlie's expression turned dreamy. "She's still as beautiful and evil as she always has been."

"Wait, I don't understand," Alice said. "Who's Evredee?"

"You don't know who Evredee is?" Charlie exclaimed.

"How would she know who Evredee is?" Hatter spat out. "She's the one who ordered my parents deaths."

"Oh," Alice said softly. "Was she related to the Queen?"

"Her older sister," Charlie interjected. "The old King and Queen died under very suspicious circumstances. Evredee took the throne. She was twenty two, and the most beautiful princess we've ever had, and then…" He shrugged. "Everything started to go bad. She was executing people left and right. The Queen of Hearts was the good sister." Charlie chuckled. "If we only knew."

"What happened to Evredee then? I mean, obviously the Queen of Hearts took over," Alice prodded.

"She only ruled for a year. It came out that she was responsible for her parents deaths, and the Queen of Hearts ordered her to be taken and sedated-" Hatter started to explain.

"I believe I was telling the story!" Charlie exclaimed, shrilly. He growled low at Hatter. "Anyways, as _I _was saying before your bloody vassal interrupted…Evredee was sedated, and ordered to be killed on the other side of the mirror."

"Why on the other side?" Alice asked. "I don't understand. Why didn't they just kill her here?"

Charlie laughed. "This is Wonderland, JustAlice." His eyes darkened. "Things aren't always what they seem."

"I figured that out myself," she muttered.

"A young man was ordered to take her through the mirror, to kill her, and return," Charlie continued.

"Obviously that didn't happen," Hatter cut in.

"No." Charlie rolled his eyes. "She and the young man were never seen again. At least, she wasn't until a few days ago."

"What are you saying? That this Evredee has spent the past twenty something years in _my _world?" Alice looked at Hatter, then Charlie. "What happened to the man who took her through the first time?"

"She probably killed him," Hatter said.

"Ever since she's been back, she has killed. Oh, yes." Charlie nodded wisely. "I may be old but with my finely tuned senses-"

"Charlie!" Hatter groaned.

Charlie chuckled weakly. "That is, I heard around. She killed Caterpillar, and the imprisoned King and Queen."

Alice paled. "What about Jack?"

"I don't know. He wasn't in the city when I went."

"Charlie," Hatter said quietly, "how long has she been here?"

"I don't know." Charlie paused in deep thought. "Three days, maybe?"

Hatter glanced at Alice. "What does she look like?" he asked tersely.

"Well, you know how she was the beautiful one. She still has that lovely reddish brown hair." Charlie smiled, and gently touched his shoulder. "It's shorter now, not that thick curly hair she used to have. She smiled on the screen." Charlie turned to Alice. "Evredee always had a beautiful smile, even when she was at her evilest."

"Alice…" Hatter whispered.

"Hatter, what's wrong?" Alice furrowed her brow.

He slowly turned to her. "Your mother is here."

Charlie's eyes widened as he looked at Alice. He squinted, and let out a gasp. "How did I never see it before?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Methinks Hatter might be in a bit of trouble now. Oops. And, how is Alice going to react do you think? Oh, everything just gets worse and worse, doesn't it? Let me know your thoughts!**


	10. Chapter 10

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Here's a shorter chapter, but one that addresses a couple of things. Thank you to everybody who has been so supportive with the kind reviews and messages, it means a lot. Some of the ideas in this chapter are thanks to Lady Irish Rose. And to BlackBulletButterfly, hope this chapter also brings a little break for you. Oh, Brumeier just posted her last chapter to **_**Songs for Wonderland**_**, so please read and encourage her to write more! Enjoy, everybody!**

Chapter Nine

Alice froze. "What are you talking about?" Her eyes darted back and forth between Hatter and Charlie. "My mom's not here."

"Alice, I…" Hatter swallowed. "When I came home that night and I couldn't find you, I called your mum. She wasn't answering her phone, so I went over, and…her place was a mess; ransacked."

"What?" she whispered.

"She was gone. I…I looked everywhere in her apartment."

Alice's face reddened. "You knew that she was taken here along with me, and you didn't say anything? You let me go on and on about rescuing my father, and you conveniently forgot to add that my mother's being held here too?"

"That's why…" he moved forward to touch her, only to have her slap his hand away. "Alice."

"No!" she yelled. "You _knew_ that my mother has been here in Wonderland for _days_, and you didn't say anything!"

"I tried! You were so upset about your father, and…I tried, but…I didn't want to hurt you anymore by adding your moth-"

She rushed at him. "You think I can't handle it? I watched my father _die_ in front of me! I've been tortured. I-I've been in a prison cell for days. Look, I'm not-"

"I couldn't stand the thought of hurting you anymore!"

"And not telling me about my mother is not hurting me?" Alice exclaimed in disbelief. "You should've told me. That first night when you brought me to your home…you should've told me." She shook her head. "How can I trust you?"

Hatter paled. "Alice, I-"

"When I was in that prison, and my dad was being taken away, he started to say something."

"What?"

"He knew." Alice looked up at Hatter and Charlie. "He was trying to tell me that my mother is here. He wanted me to…oh, god."

Hatter bit his lower lip nervously. "I couldn't figure it out till now."

"What?" she asked, her voice cracking. "Figure what out?"

"About why your mum was brought here. There were no answers, just…I was told that they took your mother. You…well, I think I could come to some kind of explanation for why you were brought back, but, your mum?"

"You said, 'now'. You know?"

Hatter and Charlie glanced at each other. "I think you do too," Hatter said quietly.

"What?" Alice chuckled uncomfortably. "What, that…that evil Queen, or Princess, or whatever? My mom is _not _an evil…listen to yourselves! Hatter, you know my mother. It wouldn't be possible for her to be this Queen, I mean that's like saying that she was taken from Wonderland and put in my world with a new personality."

"Like what happened to your father when he was taken from your world?" Hatter replied.

"You're lying. There's no way that any of this can be possible. My mother…" Alice shook her head. "It's not true. I mean, that's sick as fuck, Hatter. You're talking about someone who gave this Evredee person a whole new…no."

"Alice, it's too much of a coincidence. Evredee comes back on the throne…she sounds like your mother in looks, and your mum…Alice," Hatter pleaded.

"I think you're wrong."

"I think I'm right." Hatter closed his eyes. "I don't want to be right. Do you really think-"

"I don't know!" she shouted.

He stumbled backwards. "Okay. Let's go back to the house. I know that there are some books about Wonderland, and-"

"A picture of Evredee?" Alice cut in.

"Yes," he whispered.

"Good." Alice's chin quivered. "You'll see then, that I'm right. That my mother is not this person you think she is." She turned towards Charlie. "I hope you would still want to come with us. No matter what, I…I would still like your help in finding my father."

Charlie dipped into a low bow. "It would be my honor."

She nodded. "No matter what happens, I'm still going to get my dad out." Alice narrowed her eyes as she glanced at Hatter. "There's probably some questions that need to be answered, don't you think?"

* * *

><p>The Suit gazed upon Evredee; adoration written across his face. "I'm ready," he said. "Are you ready?"<p>

Evredee finished lining her mouth with the bright red lipstick, and took another look in the mirror. "Mary really should've paid more attention to the color of her makeup. She didn't really have much that complimented her coloring, but, since she was rather stupid…" She smirked. "At least she got ones that worked for her big sister!"

Evredee smoothed out the creases in the red dress she put on. "Have the people gathered?"

"Oh, yes!" The Suit practically skipped with joy. "We played your announcement all over the city. The people of Wonderland can't wait to hear what you have to tell them."

She smiled. "Of course they can't. Have you checked on the status of the pipes on the computer? Is everything running as normal?"

"Of course."

"Any sign of Jack? Of Alice?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. The video feed around the city and the Resistance strongholds aren't picking up anything."

"Damn it. Okay, I'll give them a couple more days then I want the Scarabs out all over Wonderland. Did you bring the Stone of Wonderland back from," she gagged, "Caterpillar's dead hands?"

"Oh!" The Suit fumbled around in his pocket. "I meant to give it to you earlier, but I just got so blinded by your beauty that-"

"Oh, shut up," she muttered. Evredee snatched the ring out of his hand and slipped it on her left ring finger. "I'm assuming that this has been cleaned?"

"Oh, of course. I cleaned it thoroughly myself," the Suit replied.

"Good. I don't want any of his dead skin touching mine." She smiled, and waved her hand in front of his face. "What do you think?"

"It looks absolutely beautiful…Your Majesty," the Suit proclaimed reverently. "The colors bring out the blues of your eyes."

"Oh, it does, doesn't it?" Evredee giggled. "I believe I am ready now to greet the people." She held out her hand. "Care to escort me?"

"As you wish." He smiled, and walked with her to the front of the castle. "They're all going to be so excited."

"I'm sure they are." She grinned. "Sure they are."

They headed out the door to where Suits were lined up around the entrance. Thousands of Wonderlanders were gathered in the center of the city; all of them clamoring towards Evredee.

"Oh, isn't this nice?" she laughed. "All of you are here to see _me_. You know, I…I know that my rule of Wonderland is going to be truly glorious. I have all of you here to support me through this." Evredee nodded as they burst out in applause. "So, for one of my first acts as your Queen…I'm going to demonstrate what will happen to those who _don't _follow. But, I'm sure that this won't be a regular occurrence now, will it?"

She took a sword from one of the Suits, and nodded to the man who escorted her out. "Get down on your knees."

He quickly obeyed. "Now, I think that beheading is an appropriate punishment…don't you think?" Evredee raised the sword up, and swiftly lowered it down; slicing the Suit's head off his body. Blood splattered, sprinkling her in the face. She pursed her lips. "Any questions?"

The body shook on the ground as the people of Wonderland broke out in thunderous applause.

* * *

><p>Alice slammed the front door behind her, leaving Hatter and Charlie outside "Well," Charlie chuckled, "JustAlice is a tad upset with you, isn't she?"<p>

Hatter rolled his eyes. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"She slammed the door in your face."

"Have you noticed that you're still out here with me? I don't see Alice extending an invite for you to come in," Hatter retorted.

The door opened, and Alice peeked her head out. "I'm sorry. Charlie, won't you please come in?" she asked sweetly.

"She's not mad at me," Charlie giggled.

"Alice, I…" Hatter groaned, and began to jump around in frustration as she shut the door again. He whipped his hat off, and stomped on it a couple of times before he pushed the door open. "Alice! You don't even know what you're looking for!"

He ran through the kitchen and dining room. "Alice!"

"I didn't say that you could come in," she grumbled.

"You need my help." Hatter sighed. "I love you."

She shook her head. "Where are the books, Hatter?"

"Downstairs. In my father's old study." He walked over to a door next to the living room and clicked it open. "I don't know what kind of state it's in."

"I don't care." Alice reached down to flip on the light. "I know I'm right. My mother is not an evil princess who had her personality redone." She paused, and shook her head. "That sounds really stupid. The sentences that come out of my mouth…"

"Wow," Charlie mumbled, "so many books."

"Oh, my god," Alice muttered.

The small room was crammed with books. Every shelf was overflowing, and the desk in the far corner was covered by three large stacks. "My father really liked books."

"No shit, Sherlock," Alice spat. "Okay, we just need to some kind of history book, right? I mean, nothing too old."

"The Royal Books!" Charlie exclaimed.

She turned around. "The what?"

Hatter snapped his fingers. "I don't say this much, but the old knight has the right idea."

"Of course I do!" Charlie replied, affronted.

"What are the Royal Books?" Alice asked.

"The Heart family has always been a bit egotistical, yeah?" Hatter stood on a stool, and began rummaging through the shelf. "All the Reds have been, but the Hearts especially so. They put out a Royal book every year with pictures, stories painting them in a good light."

"But…why?"

"Who knows? The Whites never did anything like that," Hatter replied. "I need to find the one from the year before everything happened, so like, twenty six years ago."

"I don't understand this whole White, Red thing you're talking about," Alice complained.

"The Whites and the Reds used to rule Wonderland in perfect harmony," Charlie cut in. "The Whites died out, and the Reds ruled all of Wonderland."

"So, who are the Hearts then?" she asked.

"They're Reds. They're just not a direct descendent of the Red King. They're a branch of the family who overthrew him," Charlie explained.

"Oh, so…Jack's father's last name isn't Heart?"

"No." Hatter jumped off the stool. "Why would the women of the family take the name of a lesser royal? I found it."

"Oh, goody." Charlie clapped his hands together. "This is exciting." He grabbed the book out of Hatter's hand, and began flipping through the pages.

"We'll check out the picture of this Evredee, and once we all realize that this woman is _not _my mother, we can move forward with getting my father and-"

"What if it is your mother?" Hatter asked.

"This woman ordered your parents to be executed." Alice's eyes flashed. "My mother could never be capable of that."

Charlie exhaled, and handed the book to Hatter. "I…"

Hatter swallowed. "Alice, you need to see this."

"What?"

"Just…look at the portrait." He placed the book down on the desk. "It's her, Alice."

She shook her head. "You're lying." Alice stared down at the photograph. "No," she whispered.

"Alice…" Hatter gently touched her shoulder.

"This is impossible. This…no. No, this…" She shook her head violently. "This can't be right!"

"Caterpillar was trying to bring down Jack," Hatter said quietly. "This explains it. I don't know the reasons, but, they somehow put everything together."

Alice's face turned ashen. "Jack," she whispered. "If that woman is really my mother then…Jack's my cousin."

"Aren't you happy?" Charlie asked. "You found a sane member of your family!"

She turned towards him. "Jack's my cousin. I…oh, my god. I kissed my cousin! He touched my…oh, my god!"

"You didn't know," Hatter said helplessly.

Alice moved away from him. "I need…I can't breathe."

"I'll get you some water," Charlie offered.

"No!" she shouted. "No, don't…I need air. I need to be alone." She ran her finger once more over the picture before she ran out of the room.

"JustAlice! Wait!" Charlie yelled.

"No." Hatter held the knight back. "What can we say, Charlie?"

"What do we do?"

"Why don't you get some sleep? I have some extra beds upstairs. I don't think anything is going to get resolved tonight, yeah?" Hatter replied.

"What do we do about…her?" Charlie pointed to the picture of the young Evredee.

Hatter shook his head. "I need to get Alice home. It's the safest thing to do, and…if she refuses…" He looked at the family picture of the Hearts. "We may have to kill her mother."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh, poor Alice. And it's only going to get worse from here on out. If there are things that you feel I haven't addressed, please let me know. I'm trying to answer all the questions surrounding Alice and Evredee as much as I can. There will be a chapter coming up in which more things come out, but please don't hesitate to send questions my way. Or if there is anything you wish you see, again, let me know. Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Thank you everybody for the great reviews and questions that you posted. I know that some of you did not like the whole Alice/Jack cousins who dated thing, and believe me, neither do I, but since this is not a complete AU of the mini series, I felt like it needed to be addressed. Thanks goes to Lady Irish Rose for her suggestions for this chapter. As always, sit back, and enjoy!**

Chapter Ten

Hatter flipped over onto his stomach. He opened his eyes, peering over to the other side of the bed. It was still empty. Alice was outside.

Charlie had tried to wheedle her in earlier by promising her a thick piece of meat from the rabbit he had caught, but she only gave him a half hearted attempt at a smile before telling him that she wasn't hungry.

Hatter pulled the thick blanket off the bed, and wrapped it around his bare shoulders. He shuffled his way over to the window, and glanced down. Alice was sitting next to the waterwheel; her knees drawn up against her chest.

"Alice…" he murmured. He shook his head, and made his way down the stairs. Hatter quickly shut one of the windows that was letting in the chilly autumn air, and opened the front door. "Alice."

"I went inside to get the book," she said softly. "I thought maybe…maybe if I looked at the picture that it would be different." Alice ran her hand over the photograph. "But, it's not different. And…" She shook her head.

"It's cold," Hatter said unnecessarily.

"Is it?" Alice looked around. "My head was full of all of these thoughts. I just needed to not have you and Charlie talking at me too."

"You're cold." He threw the blanket around her. "Don't you feel it?"

"I guess I should go inside."

"We don't have to stop talking."

She glanced down at her feet. "I haven't moved in hours. I don't think."

"Okay," he whispered. Hatter bent down, and slung his arm under hers. "We can sit on the couch." Alice nodded, groaning as her knees cracked from being stretched out.

"Where's Charlie?" she asked.

"Busy snoring upstairs in my brother's old room."

She gave a slight smile as she collapsed on the couch. "You didn't give him your's?"

"Are you kidding? He would break something," Hatter chuckled.

Alice looked back down at the book. "I have been replaying my entire life over and over in my head. I've been thinking about everything my mother said, or did, and nothing screams, 'I'm an evil, sadistic Queen from Wonderland.'" She bit her lip. "I've been thinking about my dad too. I've been thinking about all these scenarios. Is he an Oyster as you call me, or…"

Hatter took a sharp intake of breath. "What are you thinking?"

"You talk of coincidences. Is it too much of a coincidence that my father was taken to Wonderland and turned into this Carpenter person? My father, who was married to…well, you know."

"You think your father did this?"

"I don't know. I-I…my whole life is a lie now, Hatter. I mean, everything." She sniffed. "If-if my dad did this…I mean, you and Charlie talked about a man who disappeared when Evredee was supposedly killed. What if that was him? What if…what if he started this whole thing?"

"And…what? He was taken back to Wonderland, and had his own, what? His own experiment or test done on him?"

Alice choked back a sob. "What if he did?"

"I think we should go back home," Hatter whispered. "I want to get you home. Get you away from here."

"No. No. I need to find my father. I mean, after this how can I not? I need answers."

"Evredee is here. She's dangerous, she's-" he started to say.

"I know," she whimpered. Alice bent her head down. "My mother killed your parents."

"Alice…"

"I'm so sorry." She leaned her head on his lap, and cried. "I don't know what you must think of me."

Hatter ran his fingers through her hair. "I don't want Evredee to see you. To do anything to you."

"There's something else I've been thinking about. I keep thinking about how I managed to break through to my father. I think I can bring my mother back."

"Alice, this is not the same thing."

"Carol has to exist in some part of her, doesn't she?" She looked up at him. "I think if I just get a chance to see her. I can make her remember being my mom."

He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "What if you can't? You don't know what she's really like."

"I'm not saying that I'm going to just…go up to her. I need to find my dad first, and then…" Alice sighed. "I just want answers." She sat back up, and turned towards him. "I also keep thinking about Jack."

Hatter visibly stiffened. "What about Jack?"

"Do you think he knew? I mean, I didn't have sex with him, but I wanted to. I mean, I hate…do you think he knew?" She chewed on her lower lip as her eyes flashed anxiously.

"No. And if he did, he's a sicker fuck than I ever gave him credit for."

"Stop talking," she murmured. "I don't want to talk anymore."

"We can get some sleep," he offered.

"I'm not tired." Alice slid onto his lap. "I don't want to think about Jack, or…anything."

"Charlie's upstairs," Hatter whispered. He ran his hand under her skirt to rub at her bare thighs. "You can't be quiet."

"Neither can you." She grabbed his cheeks, and gave him a long, lingering kiss. "I don't care if Charlie hears us."

He growled, nipping at her neck. "I like it when you get like this."

"You make me like this."

"Only me?" he asked, hushed.

She stared into his eyes. They were dark; hooded. "Only you."

Hatter picked her up, and carried her over to the kitchen table. There was no pretense. He unlaced her boots, and rolled her skirt up. He grinned, bending his head down to tug her panties off with his teeth.

Alice gasped as he darted his tongue out to lick in between her thighs. She grabbed at his hair, urging him further in. He complied, and slid his fingers around till they pinched at her clit. "Oh, god," she hissed. "Oh, fucking god."

"God isn't involved with this," Hatter replied. "Or, if he is, I would kindly ask him to leave because you're supposed to be for me only."

"Shut up. This really isn't the best time for your quips," Alice panted.

"No. Right." He clambered back up, and rubbed at his cock from the hole in his boxers, before he plunged inside of her. They both let out a whimper, and Alice prodded him on by arching her hips up. Hatter wrapped his arms around her back, holding tightly onto her shoulders as he thrusted.

Alice closed her eyes, shaking as every movement from him vibrated inside of her. She could feel the heat build in her legs, and shoot up her body. Alice extended her legs out, and gasped. "Oh, goddddddddd!" she screamed, thrashing her head around the table. Her nails dragged down his back, drawing blood as she dug deep into his skin.

Hatter shook his head, as if by doing that he could stave off the orgasm that was threatening to explode out of him. He opened his eyes, and watched as Alice said his name as the last crest of the wave hit her. Hatter grunted, and shouted a long string of expletives as he emptied himself out.

"Alice…" he mumbled.

"Can we just stay here?" she asked.

"What? On the table? It's not going to make for comfortable sleeping."

Alice chuckled. "No, but, can we just stay like this? Even for a few minutes?"

"Yeah." Hatter pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. "Of course."

* * *

><p>Hatter growled, and threw his hat down on the ground. He pointed a shaking finger at Charlie. He opened his mouth to say something before he clamped it shut. Hatter turned towards Alice, and shook his head.<p>

"Okay. I think you need to take a minute, and remember how to breathe," Alice muttered.

"Look, the way that he wants to go does not lead to the place where I found you!" Hatter exclaimed. He looked around the open field they were standing in. "Just because Robert wasn't there the first time-"

"You dare to doubt me! I have seen where JustAlice's father is, and it is _not_ where you are suggesting!" Charlie shouted back.

"You saw where he's being kept? You had a vision?" Alice asked, breathlessly.

"Well, of course, I-"

Hatter moaned. "No. Not this again. Alice, how can you possibly believe him when he has no clue where I even found you in the first place?"

"Excuse me!" Charlie exclaimed. "Need I remind you that _I _was the one who led us to Alice in the truth room?"

"Wha…"

Alice bit her lip. "He has a point, Hatter. I think we need to take every feeling, every place into account, and maybe, just show Charlie a bit of respect?"

Charlie straightened up, and narrowed his eyes at Hatter. "I do agree with JustAlice, young harbinger. I think a certain amount of respect is owed to me after the two of you kept me awake last night with your noises."

"You heard that?" she whispered.

"Of course I heard that." Charlie rolled his eyes. "I am _not _deaf! You, young man, you need to learn how to control your impulses. There is no need to announce to the world the depths of your carnal activity."

Hatter and Alice both reddened. "Right. Well, I th…think we should listen to Charlie then. Lead the way, old man," Hatter said.

Charlie nodded. "Exactly. And you will see that _I _am right." He turned back to them. "I really hope that you cleaned up in the kitchen afterwards. I don't enjoy seminal fluid with my breakfast."

* * *

><p>Charlie peered through the trees. "He's here."<p>

Alice bent down, and looked at the desolate Resistance stronghold. "Here? How sure are you, Charlie?"

"This is the other place. Carlotta showed me the-" Hatter started to say.

Alice whipped her head around. "Carlotta? That girl you wagged your eyebrows about the first time I was in Wonderland?"

"No. I mean, yes. But, it's not what you think. I went-"

Charlie giggled. "You're in trouble."

"No." Hatter groaned. "I'm not in trouble."

"Why did you go and see her?"

"She was one of the mapmakers for the Resistance, and when I heard that Caterpillar had taken you, I thought that I could see her, and take a look at the maps," Hatter explained.

"Uh huh." Alice looked back towards the building. "So, how long did you spend going over the maps?"

"A couple of hours. I was so tired that I spent the night, but-"

"You spent the night?" Alice exclaimed. She started to run towards Hatter, only to have Charlie hold her back. "Did you sleep in her bed?"

"What?" Hatter's eyes widened. "No! I slept on the couch!"

"JustAlice, I think that now is not the best time for this," Charlie said softly. "We're here to get your father."

Alice nodded. "You're right. I just…I can't think straight right now."

"Alice…"

She held her hand up. "I can't. I just…"

"Okay." Hatter turned back to Charlie. "We need to come up with a plan."

"Plan? The plan is, Evredee is not there, so we run in, and get Alice's father. Nice and simple," Charlie proclaimed.

"_That's _your plan?" Hatter shouted. "That's madness!"

Alice nodded. "It is. But, do you have a better one?"

"No," he said quietly.

"Then," she replied, resolutely, "Charlie's plan it is."

* * *

><p>"They're here!" Lorry yelled. He skidded into the room where Dodo was fiddling with the computer settings. "I saw them from the tower!"<p>

Dodo smiled. "Perfect. And, not a moment too soon. Release whatever Suits you can from the cells, and tell them not to put up a fight."

"No?"

"No. We need them to make it through…so I can take care of Alice." Dodo tapped the start button on the screen, and grinned. "I'm ready."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Dum, dum, dum! So, there you have it. A sex scene, Alice is reviewing her life, a mention of Carlotta, and Charlie proposes storming the castle. Oh, and Dodo is there. What do you guys think will happen next? Ooooooh.**


	12. Chapter 12

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Wow. I am so sorry for the delay with this chapter. As some of you know I had a bit of family emergency, and then I live in New England which meant that I got caught in the freak October Nor'Easter and just got power back on a couple of days ago. We got the internet back on Wednesday night, only to lose it less than 24 hours later, and were told by the company not to expect it till Saturday. But, things seem to be back to normal now. Keep your fingers crossed! So, I'm sorry this is later than I meant to have it posted. Thank you everybody for the reviews, and the PM's, and everything. I have to thank Lady Irish Rose, and Live4Sunshine for their suggestions with this chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Eleven

Hatter glanced at Alice. He reached into his jacket pocket, and procured the gun. "Take it. If anybody comes up to you, just shoot them."

"Shoot them? Wait, what are you saying? You want me to stay out here?" she exclaimed.

"You didn't think that you were going to get to come in with us, did you?"

"JustAlice, I don't normally agree with your harbinger-" Charlie started to say.

Alice glared at him. "Then don't. I don't know if you two have hot your heads on something, but, may I remind you that my father is in there? I'm going in."

"It's not safe," Hatter protested.

"And leaving me out here on my own is?" she retorted.

Hatter growled. "Charlie, tell her she's mad."

"JustAlice, I implore you-"

"No!" Alice pushed the gun back in Hatter's hand. "I'm not taking that either. I can handle myself."

"I never said that you couldn't," Hatter interjected.

"Then stop treating me like I'm going to break at any minute!"

"Okay." Hatter nodded at Charlie. "You heard her."

They headed down the hill, and Alice stopped by the double doors. "Are you sure he's here, Charlie?" she asked softly.

"Have I ever been wrong?" Charlie replied.

"Do you really want that answered?" Hatter asked. He looked at Alice. "Are you ready?"

"No." She steadied herself. "Yes." Alice squared her shoulders back, and threw the doors open.

The main room was empty. Small lights were lit along the walls, but otherwise there was no sign of the place being occupied. "I don't like this," Charlie whispered.

"Uh huh…" Hatter glanced around. "Where are the Suits?"

"Maybe she took them with her to the city," Alice suggested.

"All of them? And if your father really is here as Charlie seems to think…who is here with him?"

Alice swallowed. "Right. We should sp-" She let out a scream as a pair of hands wrapped themselves around her waist; pulling her off to the side.

Hatter jumped up, and swung. His right fist connected with the Suit's jaw, and sent the man stumbling down to the ground. "What were you saying?"

She gasped. "I think the three of us should split up." Alice smoothed out her dress. "We can cover more ground that way."

"What?" Hatter gaped at her. "You were just at-"

"I'm fine!" she yelled.

"JustAlice, you go with your harbinger, and _I_…I will find your father," Charlie announced. He rubbed his hands together. "My sense are tingling."

"No. We all split up. It's the only way that we can find him faster," Alice said adamantly.

"You were attacked by a Suit!" Hatter shouted.

"He took me by surprise. I didn't see him. I'll see the others."

"Alice…"

She looked at him; her chin quivering. "Stop. Okay?"

He turned to Charlie, and then back towards Alice. Hatter pulled her tightly against him, pressing a deep kiss on her lips before shutting his eyes. "No fucking around, you hear me? Don't push yourself," he hissed. "You look around, and then you come back out."

"When have I ever fucked around? I don't argue."

Hatter cocked his right eyebrow. "Really? You don't argue?"

"No," she said crisply. "I do not." Alice glared at Hatter, and Charlie before taking off down the hall.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Charlie asked.

"And get my bits cut off?" Hatter shook his head. "No, mate. I value them a little too much to face Alice's wrath."

Charlie nodded solemnly, and glanced down at his crotch. "Yes. I know what you mean. The bits are very important."

* * *

><p>Hatter raised the gun. "Open the door," he muttered.<p>

The Suit stared impassively at him. "I have my orders. You're not allowed in."

"Really?" Hatter looked at the gun secured in a holster around the Suit's waist. "If I'm not allowed in…why aren't you trying to stop me? Why don't you have your gun out?"

"You're not allowed in," the Suit repeated.

"Right." Hatter bit his lip, and his eyes darted around the hallway. "You said that already. You need to let me in."

"You are not all-"

"You just said that." Hatter cocked the gun, and lowered it to shoot the Suit in the knee. "I could've done much worse." He stepped over the writhing man, and pushed the door open.

Two small prison cells were on opposite sides of the room. They were barricaded by thick wooden doors, with only a small window to peer through.

"Who's there?" a man's voice called out.

Hatter swerved. He ran to the door on the left, and stood up on his toes to peek in the window. "Robert," he whispered. "I need you to stand back!"

"Who are you?"

"Just stand back!" Hatter punched through the door, and pushed it open. "Robert!"

"Oh." Alice's father's eyes widened. "Hatter. What are you doing here?"

"Seriously? I'm here to rescue you, and you want to know what I'm doing here?" Hatter groaned. "I can see where Alice gets it from."

"Alice." Robert ran over to him. "Where is Alice?"

"Outside. Come on."

"What about the Suits?"

"I'll take care of the Suits. I just need you to run." Hatter slipped the gun back inside his jacket pocket, and held out his hand. "You're not going to argue with me again, are you?" Robert shook his head wordlessly. "Okay. Maybe you're not as bad as Alice. She would've tried fighting with me one last time."

Hatter grabbed Robert's hand, dragging him out of the room. They ran down the stairs, and across the way to another set of stairs before they finally reached the main entrance.

Hatter looked around. He shook his head, steeling his eyes as they headed outside, and up the hill to where Charlie was standing. "Where's Alice?" Charlie shouted.

"She's not here?" Hatter panted.

"I was hoping that she would be with you!"

"Let's give her a few more minutes," Robert spoke up.

"What?" Hatter growled. "No! I'm go-"

"I know my daughter!" Robert yelled.

Hatter stumbled back. "Okay. A few more minutes."

* * *

><p>Alice licked her lips, and bit on the inside of her mouth as she stopped by each door. Her heart raced as she peered around the corner, only to feel it drop down to her stomach when she saw it was empty.<p>

She sighed, and was about to continue down to the next open room, when she felt hands clamp over her mouth. Her eyes widened, and she struggled to scream. Alice kicked; her boot clad foot making contact with the assailant's legs.

Lorry tightened his hold on her, and lugged her down the stairs. He let out a yelp as she bit into his skin. Alice's hair flew in his face as she thrashed against him, and he threw her ungracefully into the chair. Lorry tightened the straps around her wrists and ankles before he moved over to turn the computer on.

"What are you doing? Who are you?" she asked, her eyes flashing. "Who are you?"

"This would go so much easier if you would just stay still," Lorry mumbled. He pulled the needle over, and she let out a whimper as he injected it into her arm.

"What the _fuck _is that? What are you doing?"

"Now, now, Alice. Is that any way for the new Queen of Wonderland to talk?" Dodo asked.

Alice jostled around. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just…you know. A little of this, a little of that."

She bit her lip. "Let me go. Please. I can't help you with anything. I just-"

"That's what you think." Dodo grinned, and walked over to the screens. He pulled up the program, and watched as it loaded. "I think you'll find that you can be quite useful. I mean, you are going to be Wonderland's next Queen."

"What?"

"Oh, yes." He turned around as Alice froze; the liquid poured into her veins. "And, I will be King."

The machine hummed as Alice's eyes glazed over. Dodo knelt down next to her, and began to stroke at her arms, and cheek. Alice smiled. "Do you want to be Queen?" Dodo whispered.

"Let me go first," she purred.

He eagerly undid the straps, and removed the needle. "Now?"

She pursed her lips. "As long as you are my King." Alice leaned forward, and began to kiss along his neck.

"If that's what you really want," Dodo began to say.

"Oh, well…" Alice ripped at Dodo's shirt. "How can I resist a King…as sexy as you?" She growled, and lunged at him.

"Keep watch, Lorry." Dodo giggled. "I'm going to take my Queen."

* * *

><p>Hatter stared at the building. "It's been long enough." He turned towards Charlie. "Gimme your sword."<p>

"I advise you-"

"Give me your sword!" he roared.

Charlie swallowed, and slowly handed the sword over. "Be careful."

Hatter cocked his hat. "Aren't I always?"

"No."

"Well, I always manage to get out alive." He grabbed the sword out of Charlie's hand, and took off. Sweat was starting to bead along his brow, and his lungs burned. He exhaled, and flung the doors open.

Hatter started to walk in the direction that led him to Robert before he stopped himself. He shook his head, and went down the hallway; tracing the path that Alice took. He clambered down the stairs, and peered into the hall. The doors were all open.

He was about to make his way towards the stairwell that was off to the side when he heard giggling. Hatter paused, and turned around. There was nobody in the room, and it was empty save for a single bed, but he could hear the giggling echoing around him.

Hatter rushed in, and skidded to a stop. "Fuck." There was a door in the room was that was left slightly ajar. "Those little fuckers. Alice!" Hatter threw the door open, and nearly tripped as he ran down the stairs. "Alice!"

He raised the sword, and leveled the gun. "Alice!" Hatter stilled as he looked at Lorry. "She's in there…isn't she?"

"I can't let you in," Lorry replied, his voice shaking.

"Why do people keep saying that to me today?" Hatter moved the sword so the tip was stabbing Lorry in the neck. "That pisses me off."

"Okay, okay. I'll let you in," Lorry whimpered.

"Yeah. That's what I thought. Thanks, mate. I thought the sword would help change your mind. I also have a gun if that would suit you better." Hatter nodded at the door. "Open it."

Lorry's eyes flashed wildly, but he reached over to unlock the handle. There were moans punctuated with the giggles he heard before, and Hatter paled. Alice was smiling, the front of her dress was ripped as she skipped away from Dodo. "Come on, baby," she murmured. "You know how rough I like it. You know how I like to be chased."

"Alice!" Hatter shouted.

Dodo pulled Alice against him, pressing his lips to hers. "And you like it when I catch you."

"Oi! Alice!" Hatter growled, yanking Dodo off her.

Alice tapped her finger against her mouth. "I know you," she said to Hatter.

"What did you do?" Hatter threw Dodo roughly against the wall. "What did you do to her?"

"I am enjoying myself." Dodo grinned as he watched Hatter's eyes darken. "Your Alice is gone. I have a brand new one."

Hatter pushed the sword through Dodo's chest. "No. Never." He stood back, and watched as Dodo fell dead to the ground.

"What did you do?" Alice whispered. "You killed him! You killed him!"

"Alice! Alice!" Hatter took her in his arms. "Alice, it's me."

"You killed him! You killed him!" she sobbed.

Hatter reared on Lorry. "Fix it. Whatever you did to her. Fix it."

"I…I…" Lorry fumbled.

"Fix it!" he yelled. "Fix it, or I'll kill you too!"

"She needs to be in the chair."

"Fine." Hatter scooped the crying Alice up, and tightened the straps back on her. "Alice-"

She leaned forward, and spat on him. "You killed him."

He swallowed, and wiped his face. "You didn't love him."

"I did! I did! I loved him!" Alice yelled. "Nobody made me feel like he did. Nobody." She watched as Lorry pricked her arm with the IV. "What are you doing? Get that off me!" She struggled against the bindings as the hum from the machine started up.

"Get it working!" Hatter ordered.

"It's loading! It's not instan-" Lorry sighed in relief as Alice stilled. "It's running."

"How long does it take?"

"A few minutes. That is…if this works, I-"

"_If _this works?" Hatter exploded.

"It'll work! It'll work!" Lorry backtracked hastily. He nodded at Alice. "You can undo the straps."

Hatter loosened the confines, and waited. "Alice?"

Her eyes fluttered for a moment before they flashed open. "Hatter?" she whispered. She glanced down at her torn clothing, and whimpered as she noticed Dodo on the floor. "No. No. Tell me it didn't happen."

"Alice…" Hatter's eyes darted over to where Lorry was making his way out. "Oi! Wait!" He flew towards the door, and pressed Lorry against the wall. "I didn't say that you could leave."

"I did what you asked! I brought her back!" Lorry cried.

"Tell me…where's Jack? You know where he is."

"I don't!"

"You do," Hatter said evenly. "You were in on Dodo's little plan from the beginning, weren't you? Where's Jack?"

Lorry bit his lip. "He…he and the Duchess are at her family's summer home…in the south."

"And he's there now, isn't it? Waiting…waiting for you or Dodo to bring him some news isn't he? But, you never told him anything, did you?" Hatter tightened his hold on the poor man's shirt. "You and Dodo never told him that Evredee came back…did you?"

"No," Lorry whispered.

"Yeah," Hatter hissed, "that's what I thought. Dodo never intended to follow Jack as King…did he?" He took his gun out from his back pocket, and shot Lorry in the stomach. "Sorry. I lied."

"Hatter," Alice whimpered.

"Alice." He ran over, and carefully removed the needle. "Come on."

"He touched me. He had his hands on me," she mumbled.

"I'm getting you out of here."

"Wait." She reached out, and grabbed his hands. "It was like I was in the background. I was watching it happen like it was a movie, and…I was yelling at myself to fight back." Alice glanced at him. "I couldn't." Her voice broke. "I couldn't."

Hatter shrugged off his leather jacket, and wrapped it around her. "I'm here."

Alice nodded. "I kept screaming your name. In my head."

"I heard you."

She sniffed. "I hoped you did." Alice looked at Dodo, and began to sob.

Hatter picked her up, and carefully carried her out of the room. "Your dad is outside with Charlie," he said softly.

"My dad," she murmured. "Right. I can't think about him right now. Do you think you can take your time…getting out of here?"

"Of course." He ran his fingers through her hair. He tried to smile as he kissed the top of her head. "Whatever you need."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay, Hatter to the rescue! Okay, well it is my hope that the outages here will stop and the next chapter will be up at a normal speed, and not as long as this one took. I also hope the grocery stores will be up and running normally as well :) I welcome ideas, and if there is anything that you feel I haven't addressed, or something you want to see, let me know!**


	13. Chapter 13

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Okay, so this is a day later than intended, but I got it done! Don't worry more dramatic things are coming up in the next few chapters, but after e-mailing with Lady Irish Rose, and Live4Sunshine, I agreed with them that there needed to be a recovery chapter in a way. Thank you everybody who has been taking the time to review, it means a lot, and thanks to those who alerted and favorited this story over the weekend. Glad to see more of you are reading this. Enjoy!**

Chapter Twelve

Alice grabbed the sleeve of Hatter's shirt, and wrapped his jacket tighter around her torn clothes. She swallowed as she looked up at her father and Charlie who were still standing at the top of the hill.

"Alice?"

"I don't…" She looked away, and turned towards Hatter. "I don't know what to say to him."

"You don't have to-" Hatter was about to reach for her hand when Robert ran down the hill. "Fuck."

"Alice! Alice!" Robert pulled Alice into a hug, only to have her push him away. He stared at her; stunned. "Alice…"

Her chin quivered. "Just…don't touch me."

"What happened in there?" Robert asked, hushed.

Hatter stepped in between Alice and her father. "It's been taken care of," he replied tersely.

Robert glanced up, his eyes searching Hatter's. "Really?"

"JustAlice! I was telling your father that he had nothing to worry about," Charlie interrupted. "He had doubts about your harbinger, but, I, _I _did not have any. _I_ knew that-"

"Charlie!" Hatter groaned.

"I don't think you understand, young Hatter. I was simply defending your-"

"No, no. I get it, Charlie." Hatter patted him on the back. "Okay, I know where Jack is. It's too far to get there by walking, but the idiot Dodo has left the Scarab-"

"No!" Alice exclaimed. "I don't want to see Jack!"

"We need to see Jack. Dodo had been working against him from the beginning."

"I don't mean that I never want to see Jack," she said quickly. "I just don't want to see him tonight. I can't see him tonight."

"Oh."

"Can we just spend one more night at your place? I mean, Dad can…" Alice shrugged weakly.

Hatter's face softened. "Yeah. I think we could all use a good night's sleep."

"Don't you think it's important that we get to Jack as soon as possible? I mean, he is King, and-" Robert shouted.

"And, Alice is your daughter!" Hatter yelled. "I would think long and hard about that."

"Hatter," she whispered.

"Right." He straightened up. "We can take the Scarab to my place. No sense in leaving it here."

"Ah, right." Robert nodded.

"I will lead the way!" Charlie announced. He procured the sword out of Hatter's hand, and placed it back in its sheath. "A knight can always tell where a Scarab is."

"We can all see where the Scarab is. It's pretty bloody big," Hatter commented. He pointed behind the building where the round top of the machinery was sticking out. "Now, I'm not a knight, but, I'm pretty sure that's a Scarab."

"But, did you sense it, huh?" Charlie lifted his head up. "I thought not."

Alice shook her head, and followed them back down the hill. She could feel her father walking behind her, and she glanced over at him. His eyes were sad as he attempted to give her a little smile, but Alice couldn't do it. She hurried along till she was walking next to Hatter.

"Do you even know where you're going to park this thing?" Alice asked.

"Sure. I can leave it in front of the house," Hatter replied.

"Uh huh…"

"JustAlice, _I _will drive this infernal contraption to the harbinger's place," Charlie proclaimed.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Hatter interjected.

"My driving skills are perfectly acceptable!" Charlie screeched.

"Wait." Alice stepped in front of Charlie. "Have either of you ever _driven _a Scarab before?"

"I…"

Hatter shrugged. "No, but it looks easy enough." He pulled the door to the Scarab open. "Not that many buttons."

"Oh, my god," she muttered. She was about to follow him in when Robert gently touched her hand.

"Alice, there's so much-"

"I can't." She jerked her hand away. "I'm happy you're safe. I am. I just…I can't be dealing with…not now, okay?"

"Okay," Robert said quietly.

* * *

><p>Evredee stared at the dead bodies on the floor. She kicked Dodo's arm with the heel of her red pump, and grimaced in disgust. "Who are these people? I mean, this guy is rather fat, isn't he?" Evredee giggled. "It's kind of funny. One is fat, one is thin, and I wouldn't fuck either one of them."<p>

"He's Dodo," one of the Suits spoke up.

"Well, I'm not arguing with you. He is a Dodo, but, what's his name?" Evredee asked.

"That is his name."

"What?" She raised her eyebrows as she glanced down at Dodo. "Seriously? What were his parents thinking? I mean, 'gee, let's name our son after one of the dumbest animals in creation.'" Evredee rolled her eyes. "Who was he?"

"He was one of the top people in the Resistance."

"Well, that obviously didn't work out well for him, did it?" Evredee bent down to look at Lorry. "Who's this idiot?"

The Suit faltered. "I don't know. Another Resistance member?"

"Hmmm, where are all the hot Resistance members? I mean, was it some kind of requirement that in order to join the Resistance you had to be ugly and old?"

"You wouldn't have been eligible for the Resistance then," the Suit added.

"Well, no." Evredee shot him a withering glance. "Besides being obviously beautiful, and young…I am the Queen, duh. Why would I join a Resistance whose only purpose would be to rise against me?"

"I-I…"

"Oh, stop talking. Now, I have two questions: who killed them, and…where's Robert?"

There was a rush of footsteps coming down the stairs. Another Suit skidded to a stop in front of Evredee. "We found something on the old feed," he panted, "Alice was here."

"What?" Evredee stood up. "Is she still here?"

"No. They left a couple of hours ago."

"They?" She sighed. "Oh, great. Okay, okay let me see." Evredee let out a groan as her foot stepped in some of the blood that had pooled on the floor. "Seriously? Do you _know_ how hard it is to get blood off of patent leather?"

She trudged upstairs, and followed the Suits into a large room where video monitors spanned the long wall. The Suit walked over to one of the monitors where a loop of Alice, and Hatter was playing. "It looks like the man with the hat was responsible for killing those men."

"Really?" Evredee peered at the screen. "He's rather rash, isn't he?" She pointed at Alice. "Why is her dress ripped?"

"It looks like one of the men wanted to use her as a sex slave."

"Sex slave? Uh huh…which one? The fat one, or the skinny one?"

"The fat one…Your Majesty," the Suit replied.

She sighed dramatically. "You can't fault him for trying. Brainwashing her was probably the only way that he could get sex."

"He didn't succeed. The man in the hat stopped him."

"Really? Cocky, and rash." Evredee grinned. "Maybe this Dodo was onto something. A sex slave doesn't sound so bad." She clapped her hands together. "So, let me guess? They took Robert with them."

"It looks that way."

"What about the rest of the Suits I left here? Are any of them alive?"

"All of them."

She nodded briskly. "Good. Gather them all up, and we'll take them back to the city in the Scarab."

"Of course. Your Majesty, what about the bodies?"

Evredee paused by the door. "Burn them. Actually…burn the whole place down."

* * *

><p>Alice tightened the robe around her, and pulled the blankets further up. Her hair was still wet from the shower; her skin raw with a large purple bruise on her right cheek.<p>

She glanced up as the door opened, and Hatter entered the room carrying a tray with two cups of tea. "I thought you might want some," he offered. "Are you sure you don't want something to eat? Charlie said that there's plenty of meat left."

"I think the only thing I can handle right now is tea." She accepted the cup, and waited for him to get into the bed with her.

Hatter pulled off his trousers, and quickly divested himself of his shirt. "Was the water hot?" he asked. "The shower?"

"Oh. Yeah." Alice gave him a small smile. "Where's my dad?"

"In front of the fire with Charlie…eating." He slid next to her, and reached for his tea. Hatter hesitated. "He asked about you."

"Oh. I can't think about him right now. I'm so grateful that he's alive, I am, but…I just…" She sighed. "I'm not ready to deal with all that yet. I spent the time in the shower just trying to remember everything that Dodo did."

Hatter's eyes darkened. "Alice, I am-"

"He wanted to be King," she cut him off. "I remember him saying that. I was just a means to an end."

"Dodo probably had no plans of ever being loyal to Jack. Even if you weren't here, he…" Hatter shook his head. "He was always power hungry."

She nodded. She was about to open her mouth to say something when she started to cry. 'He touched me," Alice whimpered.

"Alice…" Hatter put his tea down, and wrapped his arms around her.

"I couldn't fight back. That's all I wanted to do, and I couldn't. I just…I heard myself giggle, and he chased me, and I could think about was throwing up." She glimpsed at him. "He just wanted to have fun. He…and I couldn't do anything."

Hatter shook his head. "I knew I should've gone in earlier."

"You stopped it. I just…I was thinking of my mom."

"Your mum?"

"Yeah, I mean…" Alice's chin quivered. "She was turned into someone else. What if she felt like that as Carol? What if inside she was screaming like I was? I can't even imagine…what if that voice was in her head like that for all those years?"

"I think it goes away," he said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"I think…I think the longer the other personality is there, your original one kind of disappears. Like your father's."

"So, I would've…" She swallowed. "I would've disappeared. I wouldn't have been Alice anymore. I would've been with Dodo, and-"

"No. I wouldn't have let that happen," Hatter growled. "I would get you back."

"No. I know." Alice smiled. "I'm tired. Can you just hold me?"

"Yeah…of course. Do you want me to turn the light out?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm not ready for that yet." Alice snuggled against him. "I just want to feel you next to me."

Hatter sunk into the bed. "I like feeling you next to me."

"Do you?"

"Yes." He smiled at her. "Can't you tell?"

"I hope so." Alice ran her fingers over his taunt abdomen. "Tell me more."

"I like feeling your legs on my thighs. You have the best legs."

"Ha. No, I don't."

"Yes." Hatter pulled the covers away. "You do. Long…perfect legs."

"Really?" she whispered.

He lifted her left leg up in the air. "I think so. In fact, I like all the lower parts of you."

Alice bit her lips. "You do?"

"I do." Hatter started kissing her calves. "I imagined what you looked like underneath those leggings of yours from the moment you walked in."

"I know." She smiled at him.

"Oh, you knew, yeah?"

"Well…you're not exactly subtle."

He bent down, and slowly rolled her panties over her knees and ankles till they fell down to the floor. "What about now? Am I being subtle?"

"Depends on what your intentions are." Alice started breathing heavily as Hatter licked the insides of her thigh.

"What do you think my intentions are?" he asked, his voice muffled against her skin.

She let out a gasp as his tongue darted in. One of his long fingers soon followed; rubbing eagerly in tandem with his tongue till they both reached her clit. "Oh…fuck."

Hatter paused, and peered up at her. "Do you want me to stop?" Alice shook her head wordlessly, and watched as he dipped back down; leaving only his wild, dark hair visible.

She moaned, closing her eyes. She felt him spread her legs further apart to give him some more room. His free hand snaked under her robe till it grasped one of her nipples, and tugged. Alice whimpered, and began to buck her hips up.

Hatter swallowed. He kept his finger on her clit as he nuzzled his tongue deeper into her folds. He felt Alice grip the blankets in her fists. She arched her back once more, and her legs stretched out; her toes curled.

Alice couldn't sense the bed underneath her. She lifted her arms up to hold onto the bed rails as she screamed. Hatter moved his hands down to wrap them around her thighs, as he continued to suckle at her juices.

Alice let go of the railing, and grabbed his hair, pawing him off her. "No more, no more," she panted.

He was breathing heavily as he boosted his head up to watch her. "That was good," he murmured. Hatter felt his burgeoning erection deflate as Alice's chin quivered, and she started to cry. "Alice?"

"Hold me," she almost begged.

Hatter scrambled back over to the other side of the bed. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"No, that was…" Alice exhaled. "That was amazing. Just…don't let go of me for the rest of the night, okay?"

Hatter found that he couldn't say anything. His mouth was dry, and every time he opened it to speak; his voice cracked, ungracefully.

"No, just…" Alice pulled the covers back over the two of them, "just stay as you are."

* * *

><p>Robert watched as Charlie sipped at the tea that Hatter made for them. "My original plan was to bring her back. Carol, I mean. Or, Evredee." He shook his head. "You know what I mean."<p>

"Why didn't you?" Charlie asked.

"I fell in love with her."

"No. No, you didn't."

Robert turned around. "Yes. I did."

Charlie shook his head in disagreement. "You weren't in love with the real person. You were in lust with Evredee." He chuckled. "We were all in lust with Evredee."

"No, no. Evredee had a bit of Carol in her," Robert argued.

"That's only what you wanted to see."

"No, I…" Robert paled. "I know, I should never have done it. I just thought…"

"Well, I wouldn't say it was all bad," Charlie said softly. "You had Alice. She's something good, and if she hadn't come here, then, well…that poor Hatter. He wouldn't have been happy."

"Really?"

"Well, maybe he would be physically satisfied, but…" Charlie shrugged. "I like to think that the existence of JustAlice means that some people's lives were changed for the better." He clinked his mug against Robert's. "Cheers."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, there's a bit of sexy stuff there for you guys. Next up...Jack, and Duchess! How is Alice going to react upon seeing her cousin? How is Jack going to react? What is Duchess' real name? Are you ready for Robert's story? And...is there anything else you want to see? Let me know! I welcome all suggestions! **


	14. Chapter 14

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Here we go, the big reveal. Well, not a really big reveal, but here is Robert's story. Thank you everybody for the kind reviews, and the PM's that have brought a smile to my face. As always, I do have to thank Lady Irish Rose, and Live4Sunshine for their help, especially with deciding how this chapter was going to work. Please read Live4Sunshine's **_**Wonderland Sunshine**_**, it is hilarious!**

Chapter Thirteen

Alice held the book tighter against her chest. She watched as Hatter maneuvered the Scarab over the trees, and willed herself not to think about how high up in the air they were.

Robert and Charlie stood behind her, neither one of them talking. Charlie wasn't even paying attention to the scenery outside. He just looked at Alice with a sad expression on his face.

She plastered on a smile, and turned to Charlie. "So, um, how sure are you of where this summer home is?"

"I am a Knight, JustAlice. I have seen it all," Charlie replied. There was no humor or excitement behind his words this time. He gave Alice a small smile. "No, I know that the Diamonds own most of their estate in the south. The summer home has been in their family for generations."

"Oh."

"And, we better hope that Evredee is not aware of that. I think that's it," Hatter announced. "It's large. It's castle like. It's practically screaming for me to land on it."

Alice walked over to him. The property sprawled out over several hundred acres with a few small homes scattered throughout. Trees surrounded the main house with nary an open space to be seen. "Are you sure that you can land this?" she asked.

"I landed it just fine before," he pointed out.

"Not in a densely treed, whatever place."

"Do you doubt me?"

"I…" Alice stuttered. "I don't doubt you. I just doubt…the Scarab."

Hatter shook his head, lifting the controls up. "Don't ever doubt the Scarab."

Alice felt her stomach lurch forward as the Scarab lowered to the ground. "Can you at least attempt a gentler landing this time?"

"Well, don't you think that every landing would be gently compared to falling in the water on a flamingo?"

"Well, if you put it that way!" Alice exclaimed.

The engines hummed along for a minute, before Hatter reached over to shut them off. "See? I landed us down here…safe, and sound." Hatter adjusted the brim of his fedora. "Now, lets go and see good ol' Prince Cockblock."

"Hatter!"

"I mean…the King. Jack. King Jack. Is that better?"

Charlie and Robert followed out after them, only to find Jack and Duchess waiting by the door; guns raised. "Jack," Alice whispered. She stepped forward, her face ashen as she held the book firmly against her chest.

Jack's eyes widened. He was no longer dressed impeccably, but rather ragged in dirt stained trousers, and a white shirt that clung to his upper body. His hair was darker; falling down to just above his shoulders with loose waves flipping out.

"Alice. What are you doing here?" Jack peered over at Charlie and Robert. "What's your father…"

"Something's wrong," Duchess said softly. She was clad similarly to Jack, in mud caked jeans, and a ripped pink tank top.

"I would say that something is wrong with you two," Hatter spoke up.

Jack glanced down. "Right. We were…in the garden."

"Gardening," Duchess added.

"Right." Hatter smirked. "Gardening. Love the hair, Fabio."

Jack narrowed his eyes, and raised the gun back at Hatter. "Where's Dodo?"

"Dead."

"What?"

"Evredee's back," Alice interjected.

Duchess gasped. "What?"

Alice thrust the book at Jack. "And she's my mother." She shook her head. "You never should've trusted Dodo."

"What?" Jack looked at the book. "No."

"Yes." Hatter patted Jack on the back, and followed Alice over to the front door. "Alice wouldn't lie."

* * *

><p>Jack stared at the photo of the younger Evredee. They were all sitting on stools around the large island in the middle of the kitchen. "I can't believe that Dodo would betray me. He told me about Caterpillar's plans! He was going to help me!"<p>

"You've got to be the biggest idiot in all of Wonderland," Hatter muttered.

"No, Dodo was going to keep the city safe while-"

"No!" Hatter shouted. "Dodo has _always_ wanted control of Wonderland. Dodo tried to shoot Alice the first time she was here after she refused to give up the ring. He was going to take it any way he could."

"What happened to Caterpillar?" Duchess asked.

"Evredee killed him," Robert replied. "The programs…he didn't wait for it to be finished, and she killed him."

"Why didn't Dodo tell us?" Jack asked. "If he knew-"

Alice growled. "Hatter's telling the truth! Dodo used the machine to turn me into some kind of…he tried to use me. He said that he wanted to be King, but, how could he unless if he was married to the heir to the throne? And…how could I be the heir to the throne…unless if you were killed off?"

Jack slumped down into his chair. "What did he do?"

"What do you _think_ he tried to do?" Alice spat.

Duchess reached over, and covered Jack's hands with hers. "Well…we did the wrong thing. You have to understand, though, Jack's parents left a bitter taste in everyone's mouths, and now her son was going to be King? Dodo kept telling us that Caterpillar was going to use the Resistance to bring Jack down."

Alice's eyes traveled to their clasped hands. They both were wearing identical white gold bands on their ring fingers. "When did you two get married?" she asked.

"Oh." Duchess removed her hand, and looked at her ring. "It was about six months after you left."

"With everything that was happening…people left me. People who I thought were loyal turned out not to be, and Ditty…" Jack shrugged. "Ditty was there for me all along."

"Ditty?" Hatter furrowed his brow. "Your name is Ditty?"

Duchess bristled. "It's Dittany. It's a family name, it means fire or something."

"It sounds like Brittany. Which then makes me think of Britney Spears, which…yuck, and…" Alice rambled. "Never mind."

Hatter chuckled uncomfortably, and rubbed Alice's back. "Britney Spears isn't that bad."

"I'm going to outlaw my name," Ditty said.

"You're going to outlaw the name Dittany?" Alice asked.

Ditty whipped around. "You would too if you had to endure what I did!"

"I shared my poetry with him," Jack said quietly.

All five heads in the room turned simultaneously towards him. "What?" Hatter finally asked.

"I just…" Jack reddened. "Sometimes it helped me control my thoughts about being King, everything. Dodo always…" He quieted as Hatter started to snicker. "Never mind."

"I am so sorry about all of this," Alice whispered.

Jack paled as he looked at Alice. "We're cousins."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I swear, I didn't know. I would never have…" He shook his head. "I thought your mother looked familiar. I mean, I've certainly seen pictures of…I just thought…"

"I didn't know my mom was an insane Queen," Alice pointed out.

"We're cousins," he murmured. Jack shut his eyes; his skin turning a pallid green. "Oh, my god."

"Jack?" Ditty hesitated as she reached for his hand.

He stared into Alice's eyes. "I don't feel very good." Jack swallowed, and dropped Ditty's hand before he ran out of the room.

"You know, I would feel a bit insulted if I were you, JustAlice," Charlie chimed in. "I don't think kissing you should lead to the expulsion of stomach contents."

"Charlie…" Hatter moaned, and rest his head on the table.

* * *

><p>Ditty carried the large tray of tea and cups into the living room. The fire was burning steadily, and everyone was quiet as she placed it down on the table. "I'm sorry Alice we don't…" Ditty sighed. "We don't have any coffee."<p>

"Ah, no. Tea's fine."

"I should go check on Jack. I hope he-" Ditty started to say.

"I'm here," Jack cut in. His face was wan as he slumped down on the couch next to Charlie.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel like an idiot. I've been going over everything in my mind, and I don't know anything. Who did this? Who turned Evredee into Carol?"

Robert sighed. "It was me," he said softly.

Jack sat up. "You? What are you saying? You're from Wonderland? _You've _always been from Wonderland?"

Robert glanced at Alice who shrugged. "Tell us," she said, "I mean, I want to hear your side. I'm not saying that I'm going to like it. I just…"

"We need to know. Apparently, you're the reason why we're in this mess in the first place," Jack said tersely.

"Right." Robert paled, and took a sip of his tea. "I, um, I'm from Wonderland. I worked for the Hearts in the science department, much as I did when I was Carpenter. I was young, in my mid twenties, and I had been working on a side project; the machine that could make people…well, change people."

"The Hearts didn't know that you were doing this?" Jack asked.

"No. I wanted to push boundaries. I-I wasn't thinking."

"What about Evredee? How did she fit into this?" Hatter asked.

Robert exhaled. "Evredee was…she was beautiful. Every man in Wonderland was crazy about her. Her parents died, and…the real Evredee came out when she ascended the throne. She was blood thirsty, if things didn't go her way."

"Well, doesn't that sound familiar," Ditty said pointedly.

"Oh, no," Robert shook his head. "She was worse than Jack's mother. She seemed to delight in true torture. But, in my head, I kept thinking that if I could get my machine to work-"

"That's fucked up," Alice muttered.

Robert turned to her. "I can't explain it. I got my chance when, you mother, Jack, found out that her sister was responsible for the murder of their parents. Mary ordered Evredee to be taken out of Wonderland, and killed."

"Why out of Wonderland?" Jack asked.

"Haven't you noticed how people in Wonderland don't exactly stay dead? Such as my own brother," Hatter retorted.

"Your brother? Who was your brother?"

"Mad March." Hatter's voice wavered on the words. "I thought you knew."

"No." Jack buried his head on his knees. "Oh, my god."

"Why did you do it?" Alice asked, bringing them back to the conversation at hand. "Why not a Suit, or…the White Rabbit?"

"Everybody was too terrified of her. She was sedated, but…the thought of her waking up was too much. And the Queen, well, this was before she became the Queen we all know. She didn't force anybody." Robert took a deep breath. "I volunteered. And I prepared. I got the papers made up for the other world, and I got my equipment set on a portable machine."

Alice stared at him. "That's sick."

"Alice," Jack said evenly, "let him finish."

"I brought the equipment through the mirror first, and set it up in the warehouse. I was supposed to bring her over, kill her, and then burn the body." He looked at Alice. "I kept thinking that I could do this. I could make Evredee into someone who was not only beautiful, but sweet, kind. I thought Carol would be the perfect name for her, keep a bit of Wonderland there."

"Why don't you tell everybody what you told me last night?" Charlie prodded slowly.

Robert sighed. "I was going to bring her back. As Carol, but, I got selfish. I liked her too…no, I loved her. I was happy with her, and she was happy with me, so we stayed. We got married."

"And nobody found you?" Jack asked.

"I was there for fourteen years before I was taken. Your father had found quite a bit of my old notes, and decided to use my invention on myself so I could be used for the growing Tea business. Either he knew about Carol, and kept it quiet, or…he had no clue," Robert replied. He turned back to his daughter. "I know I did a bad-"

"You realize how _sick_ the whole thing sounds? You _planned_ it! Mom told me that her parents died when she was twenty. She had a picture of them!" Alice shouted. "Where did you get that photograph?"

"I bought it at a flea market," he admitted.

"Oh, my god." Alice shut her eyes. "So, the people that I grew up thinking were my grandparents were just strangers?"

"Alice…"

"No! My name." She sniffled. "That's why you named me Alice, and read me the books. It was kind of a little inside joke to you, wasn't it?"

"Like I told your father, you're the good that came out of this, Alice," Charlie said.

"Right. Well, at this moment I'm starting to wonder if that's even true."

Hatter stood up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, look at what happened." She glanced at Robert. "Maybe you should've just killed her like you were ordered to."

"No!" Hatter blanched as he watched Alice run out of the room. "Alice!" He dropped his tea cup, sending it crashing on the floor, and followed her.

"Alice-" Robert started to get up, only to have Charlie stop him.

"No. Leave them alone."

"I need to try to explain-"

"I think that you've explained enough for tonight, don't you think?" Charlie gently helped Robert back onto the couch. "Tomorrow. Try again tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Alice stared at the ceiling. The room was pitch black, and the only noise was coming from Hatter who was lightly snoring in the bed next to her. Jack and Ditty insisted on everybody staying there with them, and Alice accepted Ditty's offer of clean clothes. She was wearing a pair of flannel pajamas now, which event though they were in the dreaded color of pink; Alice accepted gratefully.<p>

She glanced at Hatter. He was fast asleep; his lips parted open slightly. Alice leaned forward, and gave him a kiss before she slipped out of the bed. Her bare feet hit the cold stone floor, and she walked over to the French doors that opened up onto the balcony.

There was a chill in the air that night, but Alice didn't care. She steadfastly avoided her father for the rest of the evening, even going so far to take her dinner in her room alone with Hatter.

"Alice?"

She peered over the edge of the balcony. Jack was sitting on the grass, cigarette in hand as he smiled at her. "What are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep." Jack waved the cigarette at her. "Bad habit. I know, but, I think tonight calls for one."

"I don't smoke, and I'm inclined to agree with you."

"Do you want to…sit with me?" he asked.

"Yeah. I can't sleep either." Alice headed down the stairs that connected to the balcony, and stepped onto the grass. "It's beautiful out here."

"Yeah." Jack tossed the finished butt on the ground. "I thought if I could just get outside that I could possibly clear my mind."

"Did it work?"

"No."

Alice nodded. "I'm sorry about my dad. I'm sorry that he…did what he did."

"It's not your fault, Alice."

"I know, but it's my family. I feel like I have to apologize for them."

Jack chuckled wryly. "It's my family too." He shook his head. "I keep thinking about that whole thing. I wasn't born when Evredee was around, and her portrait had been removed from the grand hall, but, I studied the history of Wonderland. I saw her pictures. I just don't know I didn't know when I met your mother."

"How could you have?"

"Or you." He looked at her. "I wonder why there wasn't some kind of alarm going off in my head warning me that you were related to me. I mean, we…" Jack groaned. "I was remembering how attracted I was to you."

"Yeah, it's not exactly something I like to think about either," she muttered. "I wanted to say thank you, for letting us stay."

"Oh. Yeah. Well, we have this whole big house."

"I haven't noticed anybody else here, just you two. Did you come on your own?"

Jack nodded. "After Dodo told us that Caterpillar was working against me, I didn't know if there was anybody on staff that we could trust. Of course, I did make the mistake of trusting Dodo too."

"I think we've all been betrayed in some way," Alice said softly.

He glanced at her. "Yeah. So…you, and Hatter?"

"Mmm hmm." She showed him the ring. "We're getting married."

"I'm glad. You need something good in your life with all of this going on. It's a good thing that you said no to me then."

"Well, in more ways than one."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that…ugh. Not going to think about it. How are you feeling now?"

"Um…a little bit lost. I just keep thinking that if I see my mother then I could get her back, you know?"

"What if you can't?"

Alice shrugged. "I don't know. I just keep thinking that I need to at least try, and if I get her back then…then my whole life wouldn't have been one big lie."

"We may have to fight."

"I know. I don't want to though."

"We may have to kill her," Jack added.

Alice looked at him, her eyes fresh with tears. "I know," she whispered. She fell against him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her, and let herself cry.

* * *

><p>Hatter smiled. He reached his hand down to stroke at his growing erection, and reached his other hand over towards Alice. He needed her warmth now; to taste her on his fingers.<p>

His eyes opened. The bed was empty. He sat up and reached over to turn the light on. "Alice?" he whispered.

Hatter toddled out of the bed, and peered into the bathroom. Empty. He noticed the French doors open, and he walked out to the balcony. He could hear voices talking softly, and he peeked over the edge of the railing.

His eyes darkened as he watched Jack embrace Alice in a big hug. She was crying; clinging to him as if she were afraid to let go. "Alice…" he murmured, and sadly walked back into the bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- So, what did you guys think? I hope that this chapter answers some of the questions that a few of you have sent to me. I think Hatter is not really thinking so clearly, is he? And what do you think is going to happen next?**


	15. Chapter 15

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: I wanted to get this chapter up and posted before we here in the United States spent the next few days eating, shopping, and the like. It's not a long chapter, but don't worry, the next one is when some of the bigger things start to happen. Thank you everybody for the great reviews and PM's regarding the last chapter. I advise you all to read Lady Irish Rose's **_**Hatter on the Hellmouth**_**, since she updated it recently. Yay! Enjoy!**

Chapter Fourteen

Evredee lightly traced her finger down the naked man's thigh. She glanced at his spent cock; it was still slightly hard and swollen from the activities of the past hour.

"Aw, poor baby," she murmured. "If there was only a way that I could make it…rise."

He grinned, struggling against the handcuffs that were attached to the posts. "I can think of a couple of ways."

"Oh?" Evredee smiled, and bent her head down. She parted her lips, and was about to take the tip of his now twitching member into her mouth when the door flew open. Evredee growled, whipping her head around.

A Suit ran in, his face flushed. He glanced at her nude state, and paled. "Oh, I should…that is…I should go."

"Oh, no." Evredee pounced off the bed. "No apologies necessary. I mean…I was getting a bit bored with him." She licked her lips, as she let her eyes graze over his body.

"We found a notebook of Dodo's," he blurted out.

"A what? Where?"

"It was hidden in a secret compartment in one of the desks. He mentions where Jack and the Duchess…er, Ditty is."

Evredee paused. "Well? Are you doing to tell me what it says or are you going to make me guess?"

"Oh, right!" he stuttered. "They went to her summer home in the south."

"Ditty? You know, that's a really stupid name." She giggled. "It's right up there with Dodo himself. Seriously, what kind of name is Ditty?"

"It's short for Dittany. She's the-"

"Dittany!" Evredee burst out laughing. "What a horrible name! What were her parents thinking?" She turned around. "Who are her parents?"

"She's Jack's wife. She was the Duchess of Diamonds," he replied.

"Diamonds? How the hell did the Diamonds get so far up the chain?" Evredee shook her head, and chuckled. "They must've plotted; planned it out."

"The Diamonds didn't get the recognition they have now until your sister-"

She rolled her eyes. "Blah, blah, blah. Do you really think I want a history lesson now? _God_."

"Right." He swallowed. "Do you want me to get everybody ready for the raid now, or…"

"Not yet. Let them think that they are safe in their little house, but, only for a little while." Evredee darted her hands down to unzip his trousers. "I think there are some better things for us to do in the meantime."

"Like what?"

"Like what? Tsk, tsk. Someone has been a bit deprived…haven't they?" She bent down, and loosened his erect cock from the confines of his underwear. "I think you should join us." She gave his shaft one long languid lick up. "Don't you think?"

He moaned, furiously nodding his head.

"Good boy. It has been a while since I've had two at once. I may be a bit rusty." Evredee giggled. "We may have to practice all day."

* * *

><p>Alice tightened the towel around her chest, and ran her fingers through the ends of her wet hair. She knelt down, and fumbled through the drawers till she found a brush.<p>

"Where's your ring?" Hatter asked.

"What?" She glanced up, and smiled. "Did you want to take a shower?"

"Do you think I smell?" He walked over next to her.

"No. You actually smell very manly."

Hatter picked up the diamond ring that was resting on the counter. "Why did you take it off?"

"Um, because I was taking a shower, and I didn't want the ring to get stuck in my hair. I take it off all the time at home." She turned around. "Are you okay? Did you sleep well?"

"No," Hatter said shortly, placing the ring back down. "I didn't. Did you?"

Alice shook her head. "I kept hoping that it would get better. I thought that once we got my father back, and found Jack, that I wouldn't feel quite so stressed out. But…last night…it took me a while before I was actually able to shut my eyes and fall asleep."

"Did Jack help you with that? Sleep?"

She rolled her eyes. "Hatter, what the _hell _are you talking about?"

"I saw you and Jack last night. You weren't in bed, and I went out onto the balcony, and I saw you and Jack. Together." Hatter cocked his head. "Looked rather close."

"What the-" Alice scoffed. "I couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to wake you up, and Jack was awake so he and I talked. I haven't seen him since we left Wonderland, and I don't know if you've noticed, but…a whole hell of a lotta stuff has changed since then."

"Still looked like he was trying to comfort you."

"Oh, my god!" She turned away, and stormed out of the bathroom. "Are you jealous or something?"

"No!" Hatter exclaimed, running after her. "I mean, yes. Maybe."

"I'm starting to wonder if you're a bit disturbed. I mean, it seems like my family is, so it would make sense for my fiancé to be as well." Alice groaned. "Jack is my cousin. You know that! And it wouldn't even matter if he wasn't my cousin, because, I love you."

"Alice…"

"No! I'm not done yet!" she yelled. "Jack is with Ditty. I am with you. So…accept it, and grow up."

Hatter visibly flinched as he backed away from her. "I…okay." He swallowed. "I guess I was just trying to say that I was hurt that you went to Jack instead of me about…everything."

"Okay, I understand. Would it make it better for you if I told you that it only helped to talk to Jack because we're both sort of going through the same thing?" When Hatter only grunted in reply, Alice sat on the edge of the bed, crossed her arms over her chest, and chuckled. "Do you still hate Jack, Hatter?"

"I…I don't hate him. I just…" He groaned, and made a subconscious choking movement. "I wanted you so bad when I first saw you. Hell, I wanted you the whole time, and I just…I wanted you to look at me like you looked at Jack."

Alice reddened. "At this point I prefer not to think about how I looked at Jack."

"Oh. Right."

"I want you." She stood up, letting the towel drop down to the floor. "Is there something that I need to do to show you that?"

"I…" Hatter let his eyes traverse down her body, and emitted a moan. "No."

"Hmmm….are you sure?" Alice reached over to unbuckle his belt. She lowered the zip to maneuver her hands through the opening till they grasped the shaft of his hardening cock. "I think there may be one or two things that we haven't done in a while."

"Oh?" he panted.

"Care to hazard a guess?"

"Heh," Hatter chuckled, trying to keep his breathing steady. "I think if I told you what I was really guessing, I would be in big trouble."

Alice shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not." She twisted her neck around so that her tongue could easily reach the head of his cock. "This could be one hint." She skipped over to the bed, and posed on all fours. "This could be another hint."

"Ohhhh….Alice."

"Better hurry up!" she called out in a sing song voice. "This offer doesn't last very long!"

* * *

><p>Jack flipped the pancake over, and placed it on top of the growing stack. "We have some more maple syrup downstairs. Ditty?"<p>

She nodded, swallowing the remains of her pancake. "Yeah, I got it." Ditty jumped off the stool, and headed towards the door that led to the basement.

"So, what do you two think?" Jack asked Robert and Charlie, who were busily devouring their breakfast. "Do I have a future as a pancake making King?"

"Oh, I think you-" Robert startled as Alice, and Hatter stumbled into the kitchen; their faces flush. "Do."

"So, let me guess what you two were doing up there," Charlie commented. "I believe it was some form of the gardening that our dear King and Duchess were up to. Right?"

"What's going on?" Ditty asked. She flourished the big bottle of maple syrup in front of her. "Found it."

"Pancakes? Alice? Hatter?" Jack offered.

"Yeah," Hatter muttered.

"Thanks," Alice added.

Ditty glanced around the room. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"Oh, Charlie was just commenting on the _gardening_ that we all heard earlier." Jack chuckled. He glanced at Alice's pink cheeks. "Don't worry, Alice. I'm sure you'll hear Ditty and I _gardening _soon enough."

"Jack!" Ditty exclaimed.

"Never mind. How are the pancakes? Am I the King of pancakes?" Jack asked.

Hatter stopped; his fork in mid air. "The King of pancakes? _That's _what you want your nickname to be?"

"I'd rather be known for making good pancakes then for killing people." Jack stabbed his fork into a piece, and angrily chewed. "What's next? I keep thinking that we should go into the city."

"I agree," Alice spoke up. "We know that Evredee's there. I mean, we know that we need to get her…what? Sedated again?"

Jack nodded. "Yes, and alone. I hate to even bring this up, but I'm wondering if my parents could help somehow. I mean, I don't want to let my mother out, but, if she has any information about her sister-"

"They're probably dead," Robert cut in.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Because, it's true. If Evredee found where you were imprisoning them, I don't think that she would've just let them stay there." Robert sighed. "She killed her own parents. What makes you think that she wouldn't do that to her own sister?"

"Fine. Then we go into the city, and talk to the Wonderlanders. We gather every person we can," Jack said. "They surely don't want Evredee as their Queen."

Hatter nodded. "I agree. If we have the people of Wonderland behind us…there's no way she has that many Suits following her."

"You would be wrong," Robert said quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Jack complained. "You can't possibly be saying that the people of Wonderland have sided with her!"

"Not…willingly. I, um, in order to get the people in the city to follow Evredee, I poisoned the water supply with a combination of the Teas."

They all turned to stare at him. Alice's eyes widened. "What? Why on earth would you do that?"

"I had to!" Robert's voice hinged on desperation. "Your life was at stake, Alice!"

"My life is at stake now!"

"Where did you even get the Teas from?" Jack asked. "I ordered all the remaining Teas to be destroyed."

"Caterpillar had some stored," Robert replied.

"He must've taken some as insurance," Hatter muttered. He shook his head. "Wily old bloke, yeah? Just in case things didn't work out, he had a plan."

"So, you're saying that all the people in the city are under the influence of Tea?" Ditty asked. "Even my parents? Everybody is loyal to Evredee?"

"Yes," Robert murmured.

Jack shook his head. "We still have to fight. I mean, how long will it take before her influence spreads all over Wonderland?"

"You're not going to fight," Alice said resolutely.

"Oh, yes I am."

"You're the King. We need you safe…here."

"It is because I am the King that I need to do this."

Charlie stood up, holding his fork with a speared piece of pancake up in the air. "We will protect you! I am a knight, and it is my duty to protect you…and JustAlice of course."

Jack shrugged. "You heard him. We eat, we gather the weapons…and off the to Scarab." He glanced around the room. "Any objections?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, there you go. A short chapter, but at least plans have been made for Evredee's capture. Or...have they? *dum dum dum***


	16. Chapter 16

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Sorry that it has taken me longer than expected to get this chapter up! And, of course, I wish that this was a longer chapter too, but I hope you'll be satisfied with it. A big thanks goes to Lady Irish Rose for her help with this chapter, especially with opening my eyes to the simple solutions. I hope that you all enjoy this, and thank you everybody who has taken the time to review! Much love to you all!**

Chapter Fifteen

Jack and Hatter stood shoulder to shoulder at the entrance of the Scarab. Hatter edged forward, only to have Jack subtly push him back.

Alice rolled her eyes from behind them. "Could one of you just…I don't know, go in?"

"It's getting a bit cold out here," Ditty piped up.

Hatter stiffened. " Of course. After you…Your Majesty." He stepped aside to let Jack in the Scarab.

Jack nodded quickly. "Thank you." He walked ahead to the controls only to find Hatter matching him step for step. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, god," Alice muttered, shutting the door behind them.

"I'm going to drive," Hatter announced.

"Oh, I don't think so," Jack argued.

"Oi! _I've _been driving this Scarab around Wonderland for the past couple days!" Hatter exclaimed.

Jack shook his head. "No. I know exactly where we need to land in order to access the castle. It requires a certain precision to disembark, and I've been driving these things since I was fifteen."

"I don't bloody care if you've been doing this since you were twelve," Hatter retorted. "The point is to enter the castle and capture Evredee in a surprise attack. How do you propose doing that if we land in the city where _we'll _get attacked by the people who are high on Tea, the minute we step out?"

"Hatter does have a point there, Jack," Ditty said softly. Jack didn't respond; just glared out the window.

"Jack, this isn't going to be as easy as you think it will be," Robert spoke up. "Evredee is not going to willingly submit to you."

Jack scoffed. "Look, she may have bested Dodo, and Caterpillar, but they were old men. All we have to do is subdue Evredee."

"That's not all, remember?" Robert countered. "The computer systems need to be shut off to stop the Teas from getting in the water supply." He shook his head. "No. I agree with Hatter. We need to be able to give ourselves times to get around the city. Split up."

Hatter nodded. "Are you going to argue with me about driving this Scarab anymore, Jack?"

"No." Jack gave him a cursory bow. "She's all yours."

Hatter cocked his hat, and sat down in the seat. "I won," he whispered.

Alice grinned, bending her head down. "What was that?"

"Oh, you know," he shrugged, "just that…I won. I won the girl, and…I get to drive the Scarab."

"I thought this cock fight with Jack was over," she murmured.

"Oh, it is." Hatter leaned forward to lift the controls. "I just like to piss him off. It's kind of fun seeing him all riled up, yeah?"

* * *

><p>Alice froze as she gazed at the city. She gulped as her eyes drifted up to watch the buildings rise in front of her. She subconsciously patted the front of her jacket pocket. The gun that Jack had given her was still there.<p>

"Are you okay?" Hatter asked gently.

"Sure. I just…forgot how high the city is."

"We won't be going high up."

"It's not just that." Alice looked at the entrance to the city. She could make out the landing by the river that she climbed onto during her first trip to Wonderland. "It's everything."

"Maybe this time I can hold your hand the whole way, yeah?" He grinned, flashing his dimples at her.

"Did you want to hold my hand then?"

"Yes. Your hand, and…other things."

"Oh, my god!" Jack exclaimed. "We're just outside the city to capture my evil aunt, and you two are having some kind of sexual foreplay!"

"I always want to have sexual foreplay with Alice!"

"I don't need to know about that," Robert muttered.

Alice blushed. "Right. So, we need to decide who's going off with who."

"Well, Alice and I will-" Hatter started to say.

"You know, I think that you should go with Jack," she cut in.

Hatter swerved around; his skin ashen. "Alice, look…if this is because of the bad joke-"

"What? No. I was thinking more along the lines of the fact that Jack is the King, and I think that he'll need the strongest person to protect him."

"I…I'm not the strongest person. No. Look, the last time we split up, Dodo almost got you. I can't let that happen again."

"Precisely!" Charlie exclaimed. "Besides_ I _as a knight should be the protector of the King, not the harbinger!"

"Whoa!" Jack held his hands up. "You're making me sound as if I can't take care of myself."

Hatter shrugged. "Well, you did say that you would rather be known for your pancakes…"

"Hatter!" Jack growled.

"Charlie, I was hoping that you would go with me," Alice interjected. "I could use the help of a knight."

"I'll go with Ditty then," Robert said.

"I think that sounds good," she agreed.

Jack pursed his lips. "Fine. I'm not happy about it-"

"Me neither," Hatter muttered.

"But," Jack glared at Hatter, "I know better then to argue with Alice. Apparently, not everybody here has learned this."

"Jack!" Ditty groaned.

"I really think that we need to discuss which directions we're going to head off in," Robert rushed in.

"Right." Hatter nodded. "There's about four different ways to get to the castle." He bent down to trace out a square on the sand, adding lines that converged towards the top. "These are the different alleyways that will lead us to the castle, at least, in the general area. I don't think that we should attempt to enter from the front."

"So says you!" Charlie exclaimed. "I _like_ entering from the front!"

"What about the back?" Hatter asked; his eyes twinkling.

Charlie gaped at him. "For shame, sir!"

"You know you do."

"Am I to presume that you have defiled JustAlice-"

"Charlie!" Alice reddened. "I think I should probably lead us."

"So, where's the castle in all this?" Jack asked, peering at the drawing.

"Here. I just said that," Hatter replied, exasperated, pointing to where the lines intersected.

"Right." Jack nodded. "I knew that."

Hatter grinned. "Sure you did." He stood up, pulling Alice over to the side. "Are you sure that you don't want me to go with you?"

"I'll be fine with Charlie. Trust me. Besides, if history has shown us anything, _I'm _going to be the one who's going to be protecting him."

"Yeah. Although, these back ways really shouldn't put us anywhere near people…I hope."

Alice smiled nervously. "It's more of the whole seeing my mother again thing."

"You have the gun?"

She patted her pocket. "Locked and loaded."

He leaned forward, drawing her in for a kiss. "Don't hesitate to use it," Hatter whispered.

She nodded; tears stinging her eyes. "I should…I should go with Charlie. Now."

"Right." Hatter offered her a half grin. "Be careful."

"You too." Alice headed over to where Charlie was waiting. "You ready to storm the castle?"

"I thought we were supposed to be sneaking into it." Charlie looked at her confused. "I can storm it if you want, JustAlice!"

"No! No! It…it was a joke. A bad joke." She linked her arm through his. "No storming the castle today. Besides, we don't have a flame repellent cloak."

"Or…do we?" Charlie mused.

* * *

><p>Evredee had the dress halfway over her head when the door was flung open. "Oh, my god. What's with all the flinging of doors here?" she yelled. She pulled the garment down, and stared at the young Suit. "Well? I expect some important information for flinging."<p>

"There's something on the video feed that you need to see," he panted out.

"Okay." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And? What? You saw flying monkeys? What?"

"No flying monkeys, but…" He grinned. "The feed has picked up Alice, Jack, and Robert with some others entering the city."

"What?" Evredee ran over to him, and kissed him. "Why didn't you just open with that? You let me go on, and on about flying monkeys when my beloved daughter has returned?"

"I thought that you were going to kill them," the Suit said. He scrambled to follow her up the stairs.

"I am! Or, you know, keep them prisoner for a little while." She headed into the viewing room. "Okay. I don't see them on the screen, play it back."

He slid into the chair, fiddling with the keyboard. "I can freeze a frame of all of them. Shall I do that?"

"What do you think?" Evredee sighed in annoyance as the man stared dumbly at her. "Yes! Do it! God!" She rolled her eyes, tapping her bare feet in unison as she waited. "Have you found it yet?"

"And…freeze."

"Okay, you don't need to be so dramatic." She leaned forward. "You know, it's really too bad about Alice. I mean, look at me, I'm beautiful."

"You're gorgeous," the Suit agreed.

"Right! So, how come my own daughter is so homely? I just don't understand it." Evredee shook her head. "But, my nephew? Now…he is gorgeous. I wonder if my sister somehow switched our genes…"

"What do you want us to do?"

"I want you to arrange a group. All of you need to disperse throughout the city." She licked her lips. "Focus on capturing Jack, and Hatter."

"And…Alice?"

"Oh…yeah." She shrugged. "Sure. Alice too."

"I should call the Scarab-"

"No. I still want them to check out the house. Who knows? Maybe they'll find something." Evredee turned around. "Call them. But, tell them to stay. If we don't manage to capture everybody today…" She grinned. "I want there to be a nice little surprise waiting for them back at the house."

* * *

><p>Jack peered around the corner of the alley. There was a small gap that led towards the main road before the next side street split in two.<p>

"The other way leads to another short cut. If we follow that, we'll get to the side entrance in faster time," Jack hissed. He cocked his gun as they stepped out onto the street.

Hatter shook his head. "No. Believe me, mate, I want to get there just as much as you do, but we need to just follow the path." He swallowed. "I don't like the way that everybody is looking at us."

"Are they even looking at us?" Jack's eyes darted at the screens playing. Evredee was on all of them; smiling as she talked about the beginning of a new Wonderland. "They seem to be pretty enthralled with her."

"Oh, yeah. They're watching us. Doesn't help that the whole city is…Jack!" Hatter groaned as he watched the King take off down the shorter route. "Jack! Damn it, Jack!"

"All we have to do is just take a right, and it'll bring us to-" Jack panted before he skidded to a stop, causing Hatter to smack into him. "Fuck."

"Fuck? Fuck what?" Hatter bent down so he could see under Jack's arm. "Oh. Fuck."

"I guess the Suits know about this shortcut," Jack whispered.

"You bloody idiot."

Hatter and Jack froze as they watched the Suits maneuver in. They were all carrying various forms of gun and swords; all of them pointed at Hatter and Jack. "I think we should run," Jack murmured.

"Yep." They quickly turned around; their faces white. "Nope."

The townspeople had left the streets, and were now blocking off the other exit. One of the man raised his gun towards Jack. "Evredee's been looking for you," he said. He nodded up at the screen. Photos of all their faces flashed down at them.

Hatter shook his head. "You should've listened to me."

"Do you need to throw that in my face now?" Jack groaned. He and Hatter inched closer together. "What do we do?"

"Do whatever you can." Hatter readied his right fist as he lifted his gun. "But…be sure to scream."

* * *

><p>Alice startled, and she grabbed onto Charlie's arm. The yell was loud, and echoed off the stone walls. "What was that?" she whispered. She turned around. The people they had passed were still standing out on the road; their gazes focused on the video screens that ran alongside the buildings. "What was that?"<p>

"I don't know." Charlie straightened up. "Don't worry, JustAlice. I will protect you!"

"No, I just…" Alice grabbed his hand. "Come on."

"I should be leading!" he protested.

"Wait…" Alice pulled out her gun as they turned around the corner. Ditty and Robert were crouched down, and she watched as her father pulled Ditty in for a hug. "Oh, god…"

A scream pierced the air, and Ditty covered her mouth with her hand as she sobbed. Charlie turned to Alice. "You can't think-" he started to say.

"No." She ran over, and knelt next to Robert. "Where's Jack and Hatter?"

"We heard the yelling," Robert explained, "at first we thought-"

"They went the wrong way," Ditty blurted out.

Alice whipped her head up. "Hatter and Jack are in there?"

"Alice…"

"No." Alice's lips pinked as they tightened, and her chin quivered. "No."

Robert reached for her arm. "Alice, you can-"

"No!" She pushed him aside, and started to run down towards the mob. "Hatter!"

"ALICE!" Robert yelled.

Charlie jumped out, grabbing Alice by the arms. "NO!"

"What are you doing?" she cried. "We have to get them!"

"We need to get out of her," Charlie corrected her.

"Charlie's right," Robert agreed. "We need to leave, and come up with another plan."

"No!" Alice glanced back as she heard another shout. "We can't leave them!" She turned to Ditty. "You can't possibly tell me that you're okay with this."

"Alice…"

She shook her head. "Fuck you," she spat out. Alice threw Charlie's arms off her, and began to take off towards the alleyway.

"JUSTALICE!" Charlie scampered after her, and finally knocked her over the head with the edge of his sword. "I'm sorry."

Robert's eyes widened as he watched Charlie head back with an unconscious Alice slung over his shoulder. "What did you do?"

"I had to. She was going to head in there."

Robert nodded slowly. "What do we do now?"

"We run," Ditty said. She let out a gasp as she saw a bloodied Jack, and Hatter get carried away by the Suits. "They saw us."

* * *

><p>Evredee reached for the com as the static came through. "Who do you have?" she barked.<p>

"Jack. And, Hatter. We have the others in our sight. Should we send a group after them?" the Suit replied.

"No! Let them get captured once they get back to that stupid girl's place." Evredee grinned. "Bring my darling nephew, and my daughter's lover in to the upper prison. Make sure that you clean them up a little, at least with Hatter. I like my men to be slightly dirty."

"And, Jack?"

"Oh." Evredee rolled her eyes. "I _suppose_ you can clean up some of the wounds. I do prefer to see the new ones that I'll be inflicting." She giggled. "I'm going to have some fun."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oops, what did I do? Yeah...things aren't going so good, are they? Send some love!**


	17. Chapter 17

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Here is another short chapter. It was meant to be a part of a much longer one, but with all the holiday stuff going on, work etc. I know that I'm not going to be able to finish a chapter before Christmas next week, so I wanted to give you guys a little something. I want to thank Lady Irish Rose, and Live4Sunshine for all their help with these next few chapters, and I hope it pleases you! I also wanted to thank those of you who have alerted and favorited this story over the past week, means a lot to me that you guys are liking this. **

Chapter Sixteen

Alice's eyes fluttered open. She shut them once more before forcing them to stay ajar.

"Alice…" Robert murmured.

"Mmmm," she mumbled. She could make out her father's legs stretched out in front of her. Alice pushed herself off his lap, and groaned. Her head throbbed, and she gingerly reached her hand up to tap at the bump.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like I got hit over the head by something really sharp." She grimaced as she looked at Charlie who was sitting across from her.

"It was for your own safety. JustAlice, we could-"

"You hit me!" she exclaimed. She struggled to stand up, only to give into the vertigo. "You didn't need to hit me."

"You would not listen to any of us! You were just going to dash into the madness of-"

"Wait." Alice turned around. "Where are we?"

"The Scarab," Charlie replied.

"The Scarab?" Alice fell forward. "What do you mean? Who's driving?"

Robert reached for her hand, and helped her up. "Ditty. She's been do-"

"No!" She stumbled as she ran over to where Ditty sat at the controls. "What are you doing? We need to head back to the castle. We can't just leave Hatter and Jack!"

"Alice-" Ditty took her eyes off the window for a moment to look at her.

"Don't you care about Hatter and Jack?"

"Alice, please sit-"

"No! We need to head back!"

Ditty shook her head. "No. We're going back to my house. I think all of us need to take some time to think everything through, and actually come up with a plan-"

"No!" Alice lunged forward, her hands pushing away Ditty's as she wrestled for the controls.

The Scarab dropped as Ditty fought Alice off. "Alice! No!" Robert pulled her back, linking her arms together. "You don't need to worry about Jack and Hatter," he whispered.

"What do you mean? Evredee probably has them locked up-"

"Believe me, as long as you're alive…she won't kill them."

Alice wiped the tears off her cheek. "Are you sure about that?"

"Positive. Now, why don't you get some sleep, and let Ditty drive?"

"Yeah. I, um, yeah. No…you're right." Alice gave Ditty a small smile in apology, and headed over to the corner of the Scarab.

"Did you just lie to her?" Charlie whispered softly in Robert's ear.

"God…I hope not." Robert glanced to where Alice was curled up on the floor. "She already hates me enough."

* * *

><p>"Hatter…Hatter…"<p>

Hatter licked his lips. They were caked with dried blood, with a gash that ran down to his chin. He opened his eyes, and looked around. There was nothing but walls of gray stone surrounding him, only to be broken up by a long row of metal bars.

"Hatter…"

He shook his head. "Jack?" he croaked out. He moaned as he tried to lift his arms up from behind his back, only to find his wrists handcuffed together.

"Yeah. I thought you were dead for a while…you didn't move."

Hatter chuckled weakly. "It'll take more than a mob to kill me." He glanced at Jack. The King was leaning against the wall next to him. He was handcuffed; his hair mixed with blood, and both eyes swollen with purple bruises around the rims. "Look like that's the story for you as well."

"Right."

"Do you know where we are?" Hatter asked.

"Yeah. This is the prison cell up in the tower." Jack looked around. "I kept my parents up here to await trial."

"I don't…I don't see them here now," Hatter muttered.

"Believe me," Jack swallowed, "I'm trying not to think about that."

"Right. You know, I'm not wearing my hat."

"So?"

Hatter let out a groan as he attempted to sit up. "Where's Alice and the others?"

Jack paled. "I don't know. I didn't see them."

Hatter started to work on removing the handcuffs from his wrists. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't think they're in the castle. Maybe they witnessed what happened, and-"

Hatter shook his head. "If that's true, I doubt it went down that easily. I can see Alice putting up a fight."

"Yeah." Jack nodded. "Hopefully-"

"Got it!" Hatter waved the freed handcuffs in front of Jack's face.

Jack's eyes widened. "How did you do that?"

"Oh, I'm a man of many hidden talents, yeah?" He grinned, and hurried over next to Jack. "Breaking out of restraints is…not that difficult." Hatter grabbed Jack's wrist with his right hand. "I would pretend for Alice though. You know, fake that the handcuffs were all that stood between me ravishing her."

"Oh. I…I've never really done that."

"You should. Brings a little spice…" Hatter unlocked the restraints. "There you go."

"Thanks." Jack rubbed where the skin was raw on his wrists, and peered at Hatter. "I want you to know something."

"What? That you're secretly as mad as the rest of your family?"

" No. I mean…no, I hope not. No, I wanted you to know that nothing happened between me and Alice when I was in her world." Jack closed his eyes. "I mean, not nothing. There was some snogging, but…she never wanted more than that."

"Smart girl," Hatter muttered.

"Oh, no. I'm grateful now. Especially with the whole revelation of us, you know, being cousins, and all that."

"Mmmm." Hatter started throwing punches at the metal bars. "I'm sure that finding out that you're related to the girl that you were trying to fuck would make the ol' cock go down."

"Well, that, and the fact that I'm married." Jack watched as Hatter lifted his right arm up for another punch. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm trying to get us out of here."

"Hatter, you're not going to be able to punch your way out."

Hatter shook his head. "I've punched stronger."

"Well, I sort of had the prison redone before I moved my parents in here. I got the bars outfitted with…something."

Hatter cocked his eyebrows. "Something?"

"Well, I didn't really ask." Jack ran his fingers through his hair. "It was some guy who lived in the Tulgey Wood. He promised me that it would be impervious to my mother's attempts to escape."

"What are you saying? That you, the new King of Hearts, used some old Wonderland magic?"

"I…think so."

Hatter scoffed. "We're bloody fucked."

"Well-"

They both turned around as they heard the door to the room open. "Oh…fuck," Hatter whispered.

Evredee slowly walked over. She was dressed in a tight light blue strapless dress that barely stopped mid thigh. There was a white pinafore smocked over, and three inch heeled black patent leather Mary Jane's on her feet topped off with black and white striped thigh high stockings.

"Is she trying-" Jack murmured softly.

"Yes."

Evredee unlocked the cell door, and rest against it; lifting her right leg up slightly to reveal the blue and white panties underneath. "Hello, boys," she purred.

* * *

><p>The Scarab hovered in the air as Ditty peered out the window. She bit her lip, and looked hesitantly at Alice.<p>

"What's going on?" Alice stepped over. "Are we there yet?"

"Yes."

"Well, then…why aren't you landing?"

"I can't." Ditty pointed helplessly out the window. "There's a Scarab already there."

Robert and Charlie scrambled over. "Evredee found out that we were here," Robert said in a hushed tone.

"What do you want me to do?" Ditty asked.

"We need to go somewhere else," Alice replied. "They're just going to bring us back into the city, and lock us up if we attempted to walk in."

Ditty sighed. "Okay. Jack's family has a chalet in the far north in the mountains. Nobody would be there."

Robert shook his head. "No. My family is from there. I know it takes at least four hours to get there by Scarab. We need someplace closer."

"Hatter's," Charlie spoke up. "We need to return to Hatter's,"

"No! We can't go back into the city!" Ditty hissed.

"No, this isn't his place in the city. It's his family home," Robert corrected her.

Alice pursed her lips; tears stinging her eyes. "No. That's Hatter's place. We can't go there."

"We don't really have much of a choice…do we?" Charlie prodded softly.

"I don't know where his house is," Ditty faltered.

"I'll direct you," Robert offered gently.

Alice walked back to the corner of the Scarab, and sat down. She drew her knees up, and gazed at the diamond ring on her left hand.

"I remember the first time you were here," Charlie said, cutting into her thoughts. "Both times you left my place, Hatter went after you. He never listened to me. He was insistent on going after you."

"I feel the same way about him."

"Do you also recall that he got taken; tortured?"

"He told me that you didn't exactly help him when he went after me on the horse," Alice said.

"I…" Charlie smiled. "I made a mistake. I just don't want to see what happened to Hatter then, happen to you now."

"What are you saying?"

"Love is a strange emotion," Charlie mused. "It makes people rush in; not consider the consequences."

Alice laughed weakly. "What are you saying? He loved me as he charged in on his horse?"

"JustAlice…I thought you knew."

Her grin faded as she started to cry, and fell into Charlie's arms. "Charlie…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know, it was rather short, but I promise lots more good stuff coming up! I don't think Evredee's costume choice is going to go over too well...do you? **


	18. Chapter 18

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: And…we're back! I hope that everybody had a great holiday, and enjoyed some much needed time off. Thank you to those who have continued to favorite and alert this story, and for those who have stuck with this from the beginning. This is the second part that I was going to add into the last chapter before running out of time. Enjoy, and thank you all so much!**

Chapter Seventeen

Evredee turned around. "What do you think? Do you like?" She slowly ran the heel of her shoe up her thigh. "It's a slight play on what my dear daughter was wearing that night when she ran after you, Jack." Evredee giggled. "If only I knew that my own nephew was actually standing in my house then."

"Take it off," Hatter hissed. His eyes darkened in anger as he took in Evredee's outfit.

"Well…if you insist." Evredee reached over to the side, and began to slowly unzip.

"No!" Jack yelled. He groaned, repulsed. "What are you doing?"

"Doing what Hatter told me to. I'm taking it-"

Hatter let out a grunt of disgust. "Keep it on."

"Awww." Evredee walked over to Hatter, and dragged her finger along his arm. "Got yourself out of the handcuffs I see. Well… I'm assuming that you used to pretend for Alice, didn't you? I do recall one rather loud night-"

He slapped her hand away. "Stop." His chin quivered as he looked at her. "Where is Carol?" He shook his head. "I could kill you right here and now, but-"

"But, you won't," she snarled. "Your dear Alice would never forgive you…would she?" Evredee stuck her head out of the cell door. "SUITS!"

"What are you doing?" Jack whispered.

"Um…" Evredee watched as the room soon filled with Suits. "What does it look like? I'm not keeping you two up here."

"But, you're not letting us go," Jack finished.

She threw her head back and laughed. "God, no! No, I'm taking both of you down to the dungeon. The torture devices are so much better down there." Evredee glanced around. "I mean, I had to use the Vorpal sword to kill your parents. It was a bit too bad about your father though. He and I did have some grand old times."

Jack shook his head. "You're lying."

"About which part? Killing them with the Vorpal sword or having some fun with your father?" Evredee chuckled. "Neither, dear boy. I would've preferred a long period of torture, especially for my younger sister who basically, you know, stole the throne from me."

Hatter growled. "Neither one of your should've been Queen."

"Well, it's a bit too late for that now, isn't it? I'm going to have a little bit of fun." Hatter flinched as she slowly stroked his cheek. "Especially you and I. And you, nephew," she continued, turning towards Jack, "it really won't be as much fun for you."

Jack blanched. "Did you really do all that?" he whispered.

"I don't lie," she murmured. "At least, not about murder." Evredee nodded at the Suits. "Take them down."

Hatter jumped as one of the Suits pressed the barrel of a gun into his back. "You know I'm not going to let you get away with this," he warned tersely.

"Um…yes, you are. And even if you, what, punch me to death, I don't think that would go well with my daughter for when she comes back to rescue you. I mean, she probably has some deluded idea that she can 'save' me, I'm sure." Evredee rolled her eyes. "Methinks she won't be happy to see her mommy dead, and her lover responsible for said death…do you?"

"Let's just play along," Jack said quietly.

"That's right. You will just play along." Evredee followed them down the stairs.

Jack grunted as the blade of the sword that the Suit was carrying cut into his back. The door to the dungeon was open, and the dark hall was illuminated by a long row of small round lights. Hatter cursed as he was pushed against the wall, and Jack fell down against him.

"I guess you don't believe in being gentle, do you?" Hatter commented.

Evredee giggled. "And that's how you like it." She pressed up against him. "I think that you are enjoying seeing me like this. I remind you of Alice…don't I?" She stuck her tongue out, and licked along his jaw line. "You're thinking about doing dirty things to me."

Hatter swallowed, and set his mouth in a thin line. "In your dreams…Your Evilness."

"Your Evilness?" Evredee shrugged. "I do like the name, but, I'm not really that evil."

"Oh, really?" Jack spoke up. "So, killing your whole family doesn't make you evil then?"

Her eyes darted over towards him. "Not really. It was just a necessary move. You don't get to be Queen by preaching all peace and light." She nodded at the Suit. "Strip off his shirt, and chain him to the wall. I'm not exactly feeling the desire to see my nephew completely naked."

"No, because that would make you even more sick then you already are," Jack spat out. His shirt was pulled off, and he winced as his arms were forced up into the metal chains. Fresh blood oozed down his side as one of his older cuts split open.

"You would like it," Evredee retorted. She glanced at Hatter. "Take all his clothes off."

Hatter stepped back as the Suits advanced on him. "I'll do it myself."

"Oh?"

He cocked his eyebrows at her as he began to unbutton his shirt. "Gotta make it a bit of fun for you, yeah?" He bit his lip, and blinked his eyes to keep his chin from trembling. He toed off his boots, and slipped his trousers and boxers down in one movement. "Like it?"

"Hmmm." Evredee pointed to the glass cage that was set up in the far corner. "Get in there."

"As you wish." Hatter gave her a small bow, and sauntered in. He waited till the Suits locked the door before he pressed his body against the cool glass. "As you can see, the cold doesn't really affect me."

"Well," she glanced down, "it is too bad that you won't be pleasuring Alice with that anymore."

Jack cleared his throat. "So…Aunt Evie, just what are you planning to do with us?"

Evredee tapped her finger against her chin. "Oh, I don't know. How about I put you in a lead box lined with spikes? I think it would be an almost poetic way to impale you."

Jack let out a laugh. "A jack in the box! How original!"

She steeled her eyes. "WHIP!" she yelled. Evredee stomped her foot impatiently on the stone floor as she waited for one of the Suits to pull one of the longer whips off the wall. "Seriously? You should've, like, had the whip ready for me five minutes ago." She grabbed it out of his hands.

"I guess you have yourself some pretty dumb minions if I do say so," Hatter commented.

Evredee glowered at him, and raised the whip up, sending it cracking down on Jack's chest. A thin line of blood dripped across his abdomen. "Oh, god! Yes, Aunt Evie! Do that again!" Jack shouted.

He bit down on his tongue as he received another lash on his chest. Jack forced a smile on his face, and stared at her. "Is that the best that you've got?"

Evredee reddened, and stomped over towards Hatter. "You have two choices. I can kill you…or you can be with me."

Hatter smirked. "I believe that I'll take option number one…please."

She growled, and hurried over to a fuse box on the wall. She flipped one of the switches, and watched with glee as the sprinklers over the cage turned on, drenching Hatter."

"No!" Jack yelled. "What are you doing to him?"

"You'll soon find out!" she replied. Hatter was staring at her through the glass; his wet hair sticking to his temples. Evredee flicked the switch off. "I believe that'll be long enough." She walked towards the cage, and unlocked the door. "Hello, Hatter," she purred.

"Evredee," Hatter murmured. He stumbled out of the door, and fell down by her feet.

Jack's eyes widened in horror as he watched Hatter start to kiss his way up Evredee's thigh. "No. No," he whispered. "What have you done to him? Hatter! Hatter! No!"

* * *

><p>Alice sighed, and blinked back tears as she looked out of the bedroom window. She had run into the house, and up to the bedroom the moment that they arrived at Hatter's place, and hadn't left.<p>

"I have some tea," Ditty said, her voice cutting into the quiet.

"I don't want it," Alice replied, brusquely.

Ditty put the cup down on the bedside table, and walked over to Alice. "I am so sick of this pity party that you've been throwing yourself," she hissed.

Alice glanced up at her. "I'm upset. How else do you expect me to feel? My fiancé has just been taken by my, apparently, homicidal mother."

"And do you think that you're the only one who feels this way? I'm upset too, or have you forgotten that Jack, who happens to be my husband, was taken too?"

"No," Alice said, almost unintelligibly.

"Oh, really? Well, you've certainly been acting like it." Ditty plopped down on the edge of the bed. "You just headed up here, crying. We're all supposed to be careful around you, but you never even asked once about how I feel. My husband was taken in front of my eyes by his insane aunt, and nobody seems to care."

Alice didn't say anything. She just watched as Ditty trembled.

"Oh, you don't have anything to say about that, huh?" Ditty sniffed. "You're just so wrapped up in yourself-"

"You just don't understand! It's so hard for me to even be here!" Alice shouted. "This is Hatter's house! Everything around here reminds me of him! You can't possibly under-"

"I'm pregnant," Ditty blurted out.

"What?" Alice whispered.

Ditty looked up, her face streaked with tears. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh, my god." Alice scrambled off the seat, and hurried over to the bed. "I didn't know."

"We just found out. We were…gardening in celebration when you all came." Ditty started to cry. "I just feel so alone. I know that Robert is your father, and that Charlie is here because he helped you so much the last time you were in Wonderland, but…" She wiped her hands across her cheek. "I feel like I need to be strong here, and I can't." She shook her head, and looked at Alice. "I can't. All I want is for someone to hold me, and tell me that everything is going to be okay." She swallowed. "Please, tell me that everything is going to be okay."

Alice wrapped her arms around Ditty's shoulders. "Everything is going to be okay," she murmured as Ditty sobbed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah...I'm a mean writer aren't I? I mean, look what I did to poor Hatter, and now with Ditty and Alice...you guys mad at me yet? **


	19. Chapter 19

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: And now, it's back to my normal posting schedule. Thank you all who have stuck with this story despite the situations that I put the characters through. A big thanks goes to Live4Sunshine, and Lady Irish Rose for their insistence on "taking it there." BlackBulletButterfly, I love that you're guessing as to what is going to happen next, I hope it satisfies you! For further Alice stories, here are some that I feel aren't getting as much attention as they deserve: **_**I Missed You **_**by It'sJustADream, **_**More Than He Deserved**_** by TheMightyZan, and **_**Just David**_** by secret agent sara. Give these stories some love! And now…on with the show.**

Chapter Eighteen

Alice turned over onto her side, and opened her eyes. Ditty was fast asleep on the bed next to her; her lips halfway parted open as she let out a soft snore. Alice quietly slipped out of the bed, stopping only to pull the blankets over Ditty before she shut the door behind her.

She glanced over at the other two closed bedroom doors, and headed down the darkened stairs. She stopped to turn towards the kitchen, startling as she peeked into the living room.

"Hi," Alice breathed out.

Robert looked up from the dwindling embers in the fireplace, and smiled gently at her. "Hi."

"Where's Charlie?"

He nodded up the stairs. "Asleep. He could barely keep his eyes open while we were drinking our tea."

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"Oh." Robert sighed. "I tried sleeping on the couch, but…"

Alice shook her head. "Why were you sleeping on the couch?"

"Ditty's here. I thought it would be best if she had a bed to sleep in."

"Oh, no. She-she's actually fallen asleep in my room." Alice momentarily opened her mouth to continue before clamping it shut.

Robert furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"

She paced for a second, and settled down on the hearth next to him. "I don't even know if I have the right to tell you this."

"Well, you look as it it's troubling you-"

"No. It's not troubling, it's actually good news, just…not the best time." Alice swallowed. "Ditty's pregnant."

He turned around. "Oh. That poor girl. She must be-"

Alice started to cry. "I feel so bad! I wasn't even paying attention to her. All I could think about was me. That Hatter was taken from _me_. I wasn't thinking about how Jack was taken from her, and-"

"No. You were upset. You can't blame yourself for being upset."

"But, I do this. I always do this. God, I even did it the first time I was in Wonderland." She sniffed. "I get consumed with one thing, and I can't see who's right in front of my eyes." She turned towards her father. "Like, I didn't see Hatter. It took me a while to see Hatter. Back then all I could think about was getting back Jack, and then upon discovering that you were alive…"

"Oh, Alice…"

"And, now I'm doing the same thing to Ditty. Sometimes I think back to things that I said and did to Hatter when I was here, and I just remember the hurt in his eyes, even though he tried so hard not to show it, and I saw it in Ditty, and-" Alice threw her arms up. "I don't know what's wrong with me!"

"I don't think I need to tell you how not normal things are right now."

She let her shoulders fall as she started to cry again. She leaned against Robert, giving in as she let him hold her. "I was so happy with Hatter though, you know? I really, really was. I was finally feeling like this was how my life should be, you know?" Alice attempted to wipe her face on her sleeve. "And if I lost him, and Mom? I don't know if I could handle it."

"It's not going to happen," Robert assured her.

"Were you happy?" Alice glanced up at him. "With me? With Mom? Were you really happy?"

He smoothed out of the top of her hair, and pressed a kiss on her head. "Yes," he whispered. "Despite how everything started…or ended…I was happy. I only wish that I wasn't taken back so soon. I missed watching you grow up."

She chuckled lightly. "I was a real brat when I was a teenager. It was like the year I turned fourteen, I became this…" Alice shook her head. "I'm surprised that Mom didn't disown me for a couple years there."

"Oh, I don't think it matters what world you're from. I think all teenagers go through that impossible to live with phase."

"I don't know anything about your family. Your real family…do I?"

"I don't think so. Part of me can't remember what I did tell you when you were growing up."

"You said that you were an only child."

"Ah." Robert smiled softly at her. "That was a lie. I have a brother, and a sister. At least, I think I still do."

Alice looked at him quizzically. "You think?"

"It's been…longer then twenty five years since I've seen them. I don't know if they still live in the north, if they came to the city…I don't know anything."

"You think that they could've gotten addicted to the Teas?"

"A lot of people did. Who's to say that they didn't go to the Tea shops? Just because people didn't live in the city, it didn't mean that they were immune."

"Um…you know, I…" Alice's chin quivered, " I used to have nightmares when I first came back home. Seeing you die in front of me-"

"Oh, Alice…"

"Do you remember what happened? I mean, do you remember getting shot? What happened after?"

He tightened his hold on her. "You mean, do I have all the answers to the questions of the universe? Any universe?"

"I don't know," she replied, her voice small.

"I just remember seeing your face, and then waking up at the hospital, and seeing Caterpillar."

"Do you think your parents are still alive? Still up in north Wonderland?"

"Oh, I don't know, Alice. I can only assume that they think I'm gone for good after I left all those years ago," Robert replied. "I don't think I can even begin to explain to them what happened."

"What if…what if we try? Once we get Hatter, Mom, and Jack back, maybe we can go up there?"

"You really want to?" he asked softly.

"I think…" She exhaled, "I think it would be nice to get the truth about you after all this time, don't you?"

Robert nodded. "Okay. For you, of course we'll do that."

"Yeah." She sat in silence for a moment; turning her attention over to the fireplace. "Do you really think that we can get them back? All of them?"

"We will." He took her hand in his, and squeezed it tightly. "I promise."

* * *

><p>Jack scrunched his face up in disgust. He tried to look away, but his head felt too heavy on his neck, and his body was numb from being chained to the wall. His skin was bloodied, almost every inch of his bare skin was covered in large purple bruises, welts, and his cuts from the whip were red, and pulsating with infection.<p>

He swallowed down the bile that was forcing to rise up from his esophagus as he watched Evredee slip the remainder of her dress off. Hatter was sitting in a chair in front of her; transfixed. He was still naked, his obvious erection springing up from in between his thighs as he watched Evredee's breasts jiggled as she danced.

Evredee crooked her finger at Hatter, and motioned for him to come over. He did; her eyes watching appreciably as his cock bounced with each step. "So," she murmured, placing his hands over her breasts, "are you ready?"

Hatter closed his eyes, and nuzzled his chin against her clavicle. "Alice…" he muttered.

She froze. "What?"

"Al….ice…" Hatter trembled as he looked at her. He removed his shaking hands from her chest, and his eyes darted around the room. "No. Where's Alice? Alice! ALICE!"

"RUN!" Jack yelled, mustering up all of his strength even though his voice still cracked on the word.

"Put hi back in the cage!" Evredee ordered.

"No!" Hatter stumbled, the aftereffects from the Tea still having a hold over him. His mind swam with images, and he fought the urge to throw up as the room spun around him.

"Hatter, no! Remember!" Jack shouted.

Two of the Suits dragged Hatter along the cold floor, and back into the glass cage where they locked him in.

"More! Turn the water up all the way!" Evredee barked.

Hatter pushed himself up, and began to punch at the glass. "No!" A full fledge blast of the Tea poisoned water turned on, soaking him in seconds. "Alice! ALICE!"

Jack reached forward, struggling to move his wrists out of the chains. "Don't give in!" he strained.

Evredee watched as Hatter spat out a long stream of water from his mouth, and glowered. "Increase the Tea input by twenty percent."

"It's already at-" one of the Suits started to protest.

"DO IT!" she roared. She took a deep breath in, composing herself as she walked over to the cage. "I don't know why you even bother trying to fight it, Hatter. Not with everything that I have at my disposal."

"Hatter is stronger than you think!" Jack called out.

"Was I talking to you…dear nephew?" she asked, "I think not." Evredee giggled. "So, Hatter, lets try that again. You'll come back out, I'll finish my dance, and you…you will come inside of me; your first _real _woman. My daughter does not count...she was merely a child."

"Bitch." Hatter spewed out another stream of water.

"Hmmm, that's not very nice." She glanced at the Suit. "Turn it up to one hundred."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What do you guys think? Reviews are like cookies to me :) I know that there wasn't much action in this chapter, but I think the big one upcoming, probably not the next one, will more than make up for it. I do welcome suggestions, comments, concerns!**


	20. Chapter 20

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: I am so sorry that I didn't post anything last week. I'm in the middle of a personal project, and needed to focus on it instead. Don't worry, I have every intention of finishing this story, and I have an idea for another one, but the posting won't be as regular now. A big thank you to all my regular reviewers, thank you so much for continuing to push me, and thanks for this chapter goes to Lady Irish Rose and Live4Sunshine. Live4Sunshine has posted her latest chapter in **_**Wonderland Sunshine**_**, so go read it! On with the show!**

Chapter Nineteen

Ditty opened her eyes. She looked at Alice who was still asleep. "Am I still dreaming?" she whispered.

"Mmmm?" Alice mumbled.

"I smell eggs cooking. I must still be dreaming if I can smell eggs cooking."

Alice slowly sat up in the bed, and sniffed. "We must be sharing the same dream because I smell it too." She smiled at Ditty. "Somebody is cooking eggs downstairs."

"Where are the eggs from? I didn't seen any in the kitchen."

Alice scrunched her nose up. "I don't know if we should even ask. But, I'm hungry. You?" She started to get out of the bed when Ditty touched her arm.

Ditty smiled shyly. "Thank you. For listening to me last night."

"It wasn't a problem. I think I actually needed to hear what you said, though. I needed something to…" she sighed, "I needed to wake up."

"Oh, I think we all needed to do that."

"Yeah."

"So," Ditty climbed out of the bed, "tonight?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah. I think so."

"Well, if that's the plan…we should have a good breakfast, don't you think?" She linked her arm with Alice's. "A good breakfast is essential for ass kicking…is it not?"

They headed down the stairs, and turned into the kitchen. Robert was sitting at the table, scarfing down a rather large plate of scrambled eggs while Charlie was busy at the stove.

"I knew I smelled eggs," Alice remarked. She smiled and sat next to her father at the table. "I told Ditty that I wasn't going to ask, but I need to know. Charlie, where did you even find eggs?"

Charlie froze for a second, his face turning pale before he shook it off. He broke out in a nervous laugh, and scooped up the rest of the eggs from the pan. "Have you forgotten, JustAlice, that _I _am an inventor?" Charlie lay the plates in front of her and Ditty. "I have my own special ways of finding eggs."

Robert laughed. "The girls are just teasing you, Charlie. None of us are complaining about whatever methods you chose to employ. It's eggs! We're hungry!"

"If you're sure," Charlie muttered. He took a long drink of his tea, and pulled out the chair next to Ditty.

Alice swallowed. "We need to get ready to leave this afternoon. I don't want to be wasting anymore time."

"I agree," Robert nodded.

"Ditty, I want you to stay here," Alice continued, "or, if anything, you can drive the Scarab to the city, but you can't leave-"

"No! Alice, I'm going!" Ditty exclaimed.

"I don't want anything to happen to you!"

Ditty smirked. "I'll be better than fine. Look, my father wasn't a fan of the Queen. He spent time preparing my siblings and I for…whatever would come up. Give me a chance to show you what I can do."

Alice bit her lip. "But, what about…"

"What about what?" Charlie asked. He glanced up. "What are you talking about?"

Ditty looked at Alice. She took a couple bites of the eggs before she set the fork back down on the plate. "I'm pregnant."

Charlie dropped his fork. "Pregnant? You're…you're…" He grinned. "You're pregnant? But, that's wonderful news!"

Ditty smiled. "I'm glad that you think so, Charlie."

"But, that means…" He trailed off, and his eyes widened. "No. No! I agree with JustAlice. It would be too dangerous-"

"I don't care!" Ditty shouted. "My _husband_ is gone! The father of my baby is gone! Do you understand that?" She shook her head. "I didn't get a chance to show you earlier, there were too many…I was scared. But, I can do this. I know how to wield a gun, and a sword." Ditty sighed. "Give me a chance to prove it."

Alice nodded. "I have to say, I agree. I don't feel like I've had the chance to use a lot of my training here. I want to use them."

"I think I relied on Jack a bit too much," Ditty said quietly.

"I think we just got comfortable," Alice corrected. "So, this afternoon, we leave. We'll get there as it's getting dark."

"Dark?" Charlie looked up. "But, we won't really be able to see."

"Exactly." Alice's lips curled. "They won't be able to see us either."

"I'll turn off the computers," Robert said softly. "The Tea."

"We'll do that first," Alice added. "No splitting up this time. We go in together."

* * *

><p>Evredee twirled around, the sheer red dress billowing out at her feet. She stared critically at herself in the mirror. The dress was tight and see through, with long slits running up to her hips. She had placed a small gold crown in her hair, and her face was heavily made up.<p>

"One more thing…" she murmured. She walked over to the expansive closet, and threw it open. Rows and rows of shoes looked back at her. They were Ditty's hoes. There were a few sensible, comfortable ones, but the majority of them contained a heel of some kind. Evredee grinned, reaching for a pair of red stilettos with a four inch heel. "Perfect." She giggled, and tightened the straps. "Perhaps my dear nephew's wife is a kindred spirit of mine after all."

Evredee gave herself one more look before she collapsed down on the large bed. "Hatter!" she called out.

The bathroom door creaked open, and Hatter peeked his head out. "May I come in now?" he asked quietly.

"Of course! That's why I called you!" Evredee jumped up. "What do you think? You like?"

Hatter walked over. "I do." He grinned as his eyes roved over her body. "I like it a lot." He looked up at her. "May I touch them?" he asked, hesitantly.

She laughed. "Of course you can!" Evredee sighed, and let out a moan as Hatter gently massaged her breasts with his hands. "You like them?"

"I have never seen more beautiful ones," he replied in a hushed tone. "They're like globes."

"Globes? Mmmm." Evredee smiled. "Ah, yes. They're much bigger than my darling daughter's…are they not?"

Hatter's eyes widened. "Much bigger." He cocked his head. "I had no idea what I've been missing."

"I believe that we should bring Jack upstairs to join us."

"But-"

"No, no, no. I promise you, my Hatter, that you can have your fun with him. I'll even allow you to tie him up again if that suits your needs, but I can't leave the poor boy to starve." Evredee nodded over at the large table of food. "I mean, I'm not _that_ evil…am I?"

"No." Hatter smiled. "You're not evil at all."

"Awwww." She patted his cheek. "Such a sweet boy." Evredee turned towards the Suit who was keeping watch at the doorway. "Suit!" she barked, "bring up the deluded King, and make sure that there's more of you to guard the doors. I don't want Jack to think that this is the perfect time for him to escape."

Evredee bounded over to the table, and scooped up some of the purple grapes. "Open your mouth," she instructed. She popped one in his waiting mouth, and smiled. "Is that good?"

"Mmmm."

"Is this better?" She bit into one of the grapes, letting the juices trickle down her neck. "Lick it up," she hissed. Hatter obliged; his tongue hot on her skin.

There was a sudden crash, causing Hatter to break away. Jack was thrown onto the floor; his skin was raw and bloodied.

"Welcome!" Evredee exclaimed. "We thought you might be a bit hungry."

Jack panted, wincing as he looked up at her. "You don't really believe in the whole full clothing experience, do you?"

She knelt down. "Why would I when I look like this?"

"I've seen better," Jack muttered.

Evredee's lips tightened. "Get him a plate," she hissed offside to Hatter.

"I'm not hungry," Jack spat out.

"You'll eat!" She flounced up, and walked back to the table.

Hatter headed over with a plate laden with different kinds of fruits and meat. He locked eyes with Jack as he placed it in front of him. "Enjoy…mate."

"Hatter…" Jack tried to reach out to him, only to have Hatter push him away. "Hatter!" Jack threw the plate down on the floor.

Hatter growled, and pulled Jack up. He threw him against the wall, causing Jack to yell out in pain. "You are very disrespectful," Hatter grunted. He tightened his hold on Jack. "Apologize!"

"No." Jack steeled his eyes. "Wake up, Hatter. This is not really you."

"Oh?" Hatter chuckled. "Are you sure about that? I feel like me."

"Remember Alice. You remembered your feelings for her downstairs!"

Hatter stared at him; his features unmoving. "Alice is nothing."

"Hatter-"

"Darling! I think if the former King is not going to take advantage of our generosity, you might as well just tie him up," Evredee interceded, handing Hatter some rope.

"Nothing would please me more," Hatter gritted out.

"Dear nephew, we were only trying to help-"

"I don't need your help!" Jack shouted.

Hatter looped the ropes around Jack's wrists. "You're jealous because your cock isn't as big as mine," he whispered into Jack's ear.

"What?" Jack stared at him. "That thought has never once crossed my mind."

"Oh, yes it has." Hatter crawled over till he was facing Jack. "You could never truly pleasure Alice…could you? You couldn't use your cock to make her writhe under you; scream." He ripped Jack's trouser's off, and glanced down. "Just what I thought…a worm. Nothing compared to this," he continued, shaking his penis in his hand.

"Hatter, maybe once upon a time you and I would subconsciously have been fighting over whose cock was bigger, but…that's not what this is about."

Hatter reached over, and smacked Jack across the face. "That's what _all _fights are about."

* * *

><p>Alice stopped in the doorway. Ditty had the closet door open, and already had made a rather large pile of clothes on the floor. "What are you doing?" Alice asked.<p>

"Looking. We can't just wear anything for this rescue mission, now can we?"

Alice chuckled. "I do agree with that. I don't know if you've noticed, but Hatter's mother has some quite…interesting choices."

Ditty smiled. "I did notice that." She picked up a pair of tight black trousers, and threw them at Alice. "Wear these with the black heeled boots."

"Why?"

"You'll look sexy, and I think we should have a bit of fun…don't you?"

"All Bond girl and the like?"

Ditty furrowed her brow. "Bond girl?"

Alice shook her head. "Nevermind."

"Get dressed, and I'll show you where you can hide some secret knives." She grinned at Alice.

"Deal."

"Alice? What if…what if we do have to kill Evredee?" Ditty asked, softly.

Alice froze. "We won't." She sighed, and proceeded to pull the trousers on. "I'll make sure that'll never happen."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I think I made things a tad worse for Jack and Hatter...oops. The next chapter- the rescue!**


	21. Chapter 21

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Yay! I managed to get the long awaited chapter done this week! Go, me! Thank you all for following this story so far, and I'm glad to see the alerts being put on this so late in the game. I hope you enjoy! And a big thanks as always to those who continue to read and review every chapter. Your words keep me going!**

Chapter Twenty

She found me roots of relish sweet,  
>And honey wild and manna dew,<br>And sure in language strange she said-  
>'I love thee true.'<p>

She took me to her elfin grot,  
>And there she wept, and sighed full sore<br>And there I shut her wild wild eyes  
>With kisses four<p>

And there she lulled me asleep  
>And there I dreamed -ah! woe betide!-<br>The latest dream I ever dreamt  
>On the cold hillside.<p>

I saw pale kings, and princes too,  
>Pale warriors, death pale were they all;<br>They cried- La Belle Dame sans Merci  
>Thee hath in thrall!'<p>

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,  
>With horrid warning gaped wide,<br>And I awoke and found me here,  
>On the cold hill's side<p>

- excerpt from "La Belle Dame sans Merci" by John Keats

* * *

><p>The only light they could see was from the flashing screens that ran alongside the buildings. Evredee's face was larger than life as she laughed and smiled.<p>

Alice stared. Her eyes were unmoving as she watched the woman that she knew as her mother, wax poetic about a new Wonderland.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ditty whispered in her ear.

"Are you sure _you're _okay?" Alice replied.

"I'm not as bad off as you. My mother isn't playing on all the screens."

Robert nodded. "Ditty is right. Are you sure you're okay?"

Alice stiffened. "We're going in. You see any Suits, we shoot 'em."

"All of them?" Charlie asked.

"They're working for her. We need to get them out of the way. I don't care about how many we have to go through." Alice turned to look at them. "We're here to rescue Hatter, and Jack. The Suits don't matter."

"What about your mother?" Robert asked quietly.

"We'll get Mom back." Alice nodded. "Guns out."

"I'm going to lead," Ditty said. She shot a look at Charlie. "And don't you _dare _suggest that you lead."

"I'm a knight, I-"

"And, _I'm _the Queen. Your Queen, actually." She grinned. "Don't you think that you should listen to me?"

She held her gun up, and began to run over to the entrance of the city. Evredee's voice sounded muffled; eerie, as the rest of the center was silent. "Where is everybody?" Alice whispered.

"I don't know…asleep?" Ditty replied.

"It's the effects from too much Tea," Robert said.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

"Think about it. These poor people in the city have been inundated with the Tea. It's not like before when they would take it to achieve a certain purpose, or for a fix," Robert explained. "It's in their drinking water, their baths, when they make food. It's going to overrun their system."

"And, what? They shut down?"

"Exactly."

Alice exhaled. "We need to get the screens off. Do you know where we have to go to do that?"

Robert nodded. "Yes."

"What about the Tea?" Ditty asked. "Can you get that shut off from the same place?"

"Yes, of course. If I can get into the main computer, I should be able to access almost everything."

Alice nodded. "We go there first, and remember…any Suits, we shoot on sight." She faced the castle. "Like those." Alice raised her gun at the small collection of Suits that were making their way from the castle doors. "No mercy," she murmured, and steadied herself as she fired off a couple of shots.

They watched as the men fell down, some of them twitching on the ground before they stilled. "Good one," Ditty remarked. "Let's go."

The heels of her boots clicked against the stone floor as they ran through the main entrance. Ditty jumped in front of Charlie, and quickly shot off a round. Alice startled as screams filled the hall for a second before they were promptly silenced.

"Your father taught you well," Alice commented.

"Robert, lead us to the computer room," Ditty instructed, panting. "I'm going to take the back, Alice can handle the sides."

"And, what about me?" Charlie asked.

"Just…try to stay alive," Ditty muttered.

"Right! You got it!" Charlie patted his sword. "This has managed to keep me alive more times than I can count. You know, there was one-"

"Not now, Charlie!" Alice exclaimed.

"Oh. Right."

Robert pushed open one of the doors, and started to head down the stairs. He froze in his step by the large metal door as a couple of Suits turned away from the computer, and raised their guns. Robert lifted his; his hand shaking. "Alice…" he murmured.

"Dad!" Alice shouted. She jumped in front of him, and shot. "Ditty!"

"Get down, Robert!" Ditty ordered. She turned around, not giving the rest of the Suit's a chance. Blood splattered against the walls as the men slumped dead onto the floor.

"I'm sorry." Robert looked at Alice, his eyes wild. "I don't know what happened there. I couldn't-"

"Dad, it's fine. I just need you to turn the computer off."

"I failed."

"No…Dad!" Alice grabbed his arms. "You didn't. Please…"

He glanced at the computer. "Right."

"What do we do with the dead bodies?" Charlie wondered.

Ditty looked around. "I'm trying not to think about that right now." She shook her head, and walked over to one of the three keyboards on the table. "I feel so stupid. I should know how to do everything in this room, but, I didn't pay any attention."

"Did you and Jack even use this room in the first place?" Alice asked.

"Jack must've employed some Suits in here, at least to keep some things in the castle running."

The screen filled up with blue and green charts as Robert frantically typed on the keys. "She has kept it at a steady rate, except for one running down to the dungeon," he muttered. "What was she doing down there?"

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

Robert pointed at one of the long blue lines. "She had them set up a route for the Tea to be pumped down to the dungeon. It's higher than the others. It even looks like for a time she had it running at full power."

"She had to have been doing something to Jack and Hatter," Ditty said, breathlessly. "Why else would she send it down there?"

Alice stared at the unmoving lines. "Turn it off."

Robert quickly obeyed, and there was a whirling sound as they watched the colors on the screen dissolve. "There. One thing is done," he whispered.

"So, that's it? There's no more Tea?" Alice asked him.

"No more Tea being pumped through the city. It may still take a couple of hours for it to get completely drained out, but it's been shut down."

"So, what happens next?" Ditty asked.

"We bring up the controls for the screens outside." Robert's eyes darted through the different files. "She should have it set up on a loop…yes." He eagerly tapped the keys. "And…" He peeked out through the window. Everything was black. "Yes."

"What just happened?" Charlie asked.

"All of the screens in the city have been shut off." Robert clicked on the folder. "And…deleting it. All the records of Evredee's videos…gone."

"Now what?" Charlie asked, not even bothering to keep the excitement out of his voice.

Ditty shook her head. "We find Jack, and Hatter." She turned to Charlie. "Aren't you supposed to be good at sensing these kind of things?"

"Oh, um, yes of course! But, alas…my connection has been severely disjointed lately. The spirits-"

"Can you find them, Robert? Can you bring up the feed from around the castle?" Ditty asked.

"The feed runs through some of the screens upstairs, but there has to be some way that I can bring them up down here."

"These screens don't run the video feed?" Alice asked.

"No. They have the capabilities though."

"Try, Dad. It'll save us the time of running through the castle."

"Right." Robert pales, and sweat ran down his cheeks as his fingers flew over the keyboard. "Okay. I believe that I can ping off this file. It won't be very clear, but, I can bring up a few shots at a time."

"Do it."

The four of them leaned forward as various video shots played on the computer. "All empty, or just a few Suits," Alice muttered.

Ditty gasped. "No, wait. Can you go back one?"

"Did you see something?" Alice pressed.

"I don't know. I think…" Ditty inhaled. "Yes."

"What?" Alice glanced at the screen. "Oh, my god."

The image was still pixilated in spots, but Alice could make out Evredee and Hatter standing close together as Jack was seated in a crouching position on the floor.

"That's my room," Ditty said evenly. "That bitch is in my room, and…she's wearing my clothes."

"Are you sure?" Robert asked.

"I know what my room looks like. Oh, my god."

Charlie peered over Alice's shoulder. "The harbinger…is he naked?"

"Naked?" Alice looked at Hatter. "Why is he naked? What is going on up there?"

Ditty shook her head. "I don't know, but we're going to find out."

"Could they be having an orgy?" Charlie wondered.

"Oh, my god!" Alice groaned.

"When I was younger, I used to dream of being in an orgy with Evredee," Charlie sighed.

"Charlie!" Alice exclaimed.

"I'm leading the way," Ditty announced. "She's sure to have Suits guarding the area by the room, especially with Jack and Hatter in there with her."

"So, what do we do?" Alice asked.

"Same as before. We get them before they have a chance to get us."

"Right." Alice nodded at Robert. "Shut all this down, okay?"

He nodded wordlessly, and the screens went dark. "Are you ready?"

"No." She attempted to give him a small smile. "But, I don't really have much of a choice…do I?"

* * *

><p>Evredee's eyes flashed as the gun shot echoed in the room. "What was that? What was that?"<p>

Jack panted. "Someone's here."

She glared at the Suits in the room. "What are you waiting for? Go out there!"

The door was kicked open, and Ditty and Alice walked in; their guns raised. "I don't think so," Ditty muttered. She shot the three Suits who were making their way towards her.

"Well, aren't you a fast one?" Evredee snickered. "So, I assume that you're the girl who's married to my dear nephew."

"I'm not your 'dear' anything," Jack spat out.

Ditty kept the gun trained on Evredee. "Let them go."

"Or…what?" Evredee stared at Alice. "You wouldn't dare kill me in front of my daughter…now, would you?"

"Evredee, please…stop this," Robert pleaded.

"No." She shook her head, and walked over to him. "This is all _your _doing…darling."

"I know. Believe me, I know. I did the wrong thing all those years ago, but, that's between you and me. Let Jack and Hatter go," Robert whispered.

"Oh, no. I mean, I have no need for Jack, but Hatter…" Evredee touched Hatter's bare arm.

"Mom?" Alice whimpered.

"Yes…honey?" she purred. She let her hand trail down to Hatter's twitching cock.

"What are you doing? Mom….?"

Evredee stiffened. "Don't call me that," she hissed. "I am not _your _mother."

"Yes…" Alice took a step towards her. "You are. Please." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "What are you doing to Hatter?"

"What haven't I done to Hatter?" Evredee giggled.

"Evredee…stop this," Robert murmured.

"No. In fact, I think that Alice should see all the fun that Hatter and I have had."

"Hatter! Hatter! I don't know what she did to you, but please! I need you to wake up!" Alice shouted. She lunged at him, only to have Evredee push her away. "Stop! Please! I want my mother back!"

"She's gone," Evredee snarled.

"I don't believe that!"

"Hatter, why don't you take Alice into the viewing room? Play her the tapes from today…I think she'll be pleasantly surprised," Evredee suggested, smiling.

Charlie stood in front of Hatter. "Stay away from her."

"I always do what Evredee tells me to, old man," Hatter said, pushing Charlie away to the side. He grabbed Alice by the arm, and yanked her towards the door.

"No, Alice!" Jack grunted.

"Hatter!" Ditty attempted to reach for Alice, only to have Alice stop her. "Alice…"

"I'm going to go with him," Alice said quietly. Hatter was staring at her, his breath coming out in short ragged bursts. "I'm going to try to get him to snap out of whatever she has him under. You should be trying to get Jack loose."

"What about your mother?" Ditty whispered. "What if she-"

"Don't do anything…please. Hold her off."

"But, what if-"

"Please!" Alice followed Hatter down the stairs, carefully stepping over the bodies of the dead Suits that littered the doorway. "Why are you naked?" she asked him.

"Evredee prefers me that way." Hatter gave her a cocky grin. "As I recall…you preferred me that way."

"Hatter, please. What has she done to you?"

"Nothing…and everything." He shoved her into a small room where television screens lined the walls. "I can show you part of it."

"Hatter! Please!"

"Sit down!" he barked.

"No!" she yelled. She let out a scream as Hatter forced her into one of the chairs. "Hatter!"

"Everything is being recorded. She's watching us now," he murmured, giving a slight nod towards the camera in the room. "So, if I were you…I would sit down, and shut the fuck up!"

"Wha…?"

"Evredee has a better body than you…I think." Hatter flipped on one of the switches for the screens, and began to rewind the tape. "See? Have I ever paid that much attention to you…your breasts?"

Alice stood up, and slapped him across the face. She dropped the gun in the floor as Hatter picked her up, and threw her against the wall. "Stop it!" she yelled.

Hatter glanced down towards her chest. "They're a bit small, yeah?" He yelped out in pain as Alice kneed him directly in the balls. "Bitch!"

"Hatter, I want you to look at me! You know me!" She waved her ring in his face. "Hatter! You gave this to me!"

He snarled, and pinned her down to the floor. Alice screamed, and wrapped her legs around his back; flipping him over. He tumbled, and muttered her name before he stumbled, and hit his head on the cement wall.

"Oh, god. Hatter! Hatter!" Alice turned him over, and pressed her fingers to his throat. He was still breathing, and his heartbeat was racing. "Hatter! I-" She jerked her head up as she heard a gunshot peal out. "Oh, god! No. Hatter!" She slapped his cheek a couple of times before she leaned down to lay a kiss on his lips. "Okay, that didn't work. That always works in the movies. Stay here," she whispered. "Don't move."

She scrambled to get out of the room, and headed back upstairs. Alice skidded to a stop when she saw Ditty crouched next to Jack. Evredee had Ditty's gun in her hands.

"What did you do?" Alice asked.

"Your friend Ditty is no match for me. Luckily, I just hit dear Jack in the shoulder," Evredee said. "Some of your friends are cowards, Alice," she continued, nodding at Charlie who was off in the corner. "He is no knight." Robert was standing in front of Evredee with his arms raised.

"Please. Leave them alone. I know you. You're my mom." Alice swallowed, and walked over. "My mom would never hurt anybody. You always listened to me, even when I wasn't worth listening to."

Evredee laughed. "You were so pathetic. Weak and pathetic. Crying for your daddy all the time."

"Carol…" Robert whispered.

"I am NOT Carol!" she yelled. "You made me be someone-"

"I know!" he shouted. "_I _did it! Not Alice! Me!"

"Mom, please…please look at me. Don't you remember all the things we did together? And, you would read to me every night when I was a kid," Alice continued.

"I am not your mother, got it? I never wanted to be a mother. I couldn't stand children, and I especially couldn't stand you." Evredee raised the gun at Alice. "You get it? I was always trapped inside. Inside Carol's head, just _begging_ to get out. Do you know what that's like? To watch your body do something, say something that's not you?"

"Mom…"

"I was supposed to be Queen. Get that, _Alice_? QUEEN!" Evredee growled. "I don't love you. I have _never_ loved you!"

"Evredee, stop!" Robert shouted.

"No. Alice deserves to know the truth, doesn't she?" Evredee grinned, as Alice's tears fell. "You had me set up to be the perfect doting wife and mother, didn't you Robert? Perfect, perfect, perfect." She cocked her head. "Like what I did to Hatter, darling? He has been ever so much fun!"

"You forced him under the Tea," Jack gritted out. "But, it didn't work."

"Yes…it did."

"No…" Jack yelped as he stood up. "It didn't."

"Evredee, put the gun down," Robert begged.

"Where's Hatter?" she asked Alice.

"He's alive," Alice replied.

"Well, I hope that you haven't destroyed him too much. I still want to take him completely."

"Mommy," Alice choked out. "Mommy, please stop. Please, please…I need you."

Evredee chuckled. "Really? That's where you make mistakes, Alice. The real trick is to not need anyone." She released the trigger.

Alice's eyes widened, and she started to scream. Jack and Ditty ran towards her to yank her out of the way as Robert once more stepped in front of her. He whimpered as he collapsed down to the ground.

"Alice…"

"Daddy! Daddy! No!" Alice shouted.

Another shot rang out, and Evredee's eyes and mouth opened in shock as blood poured out from a bullet hole in her forehead. "Mom? Mom?" Alice whispered. She crawled over to the bodies of her parents lying side by side. "Mom? Dad? Mom? Mom! MOM!"

She felt someone grab her, and pull her into an embrace. "Alice."

"Wha…"

"Alice."

She looked up. Hatter was breathing heavily; the gun next to his foot. "No…"

"Alice…"

"Get them back! Get them back!" Alice jumped up, and ran back to her father. "Wake him up! You can do it! Wake him up!"

"Alice!"

She fought as Hatter scooped her up. "You can do it! Wake him up! Mom! Mom! Mo-" Alice sighed, as everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- so how was the rescue scene? Did everybody figure out the truth about Hatter now? Let me know what you thought!**


	22. Chapter 22

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Here's a nice little short chapter for you guys in anticipation of the bigger chapter that's coming up. Only a few more, and this story is done! I'm glad that you guys have been enjoying this, and you know me, always taking Hatter and Alice on a wild ride. Check out Live4Sunshine's **_**Wonderland Sunshine**_**, it's hilarious and she has a goody of a chapter coming up! Hope you guys don't hate me too much!**

Chapter Twenty One

Alice slowly opened her eyes, and squinted. She was surrounded by thick blankets, and was wearing an unfamiliar pink nightgown. It itched along the collar, and she lifted her hand up to scratch.

"Alice…"

She turned her head to the right. Hatter was sitting haphazardly in a gold lined chair next to the bed. His face was drawn, and his hair was so oily that it looked greasy and stringy. The clothes that he had on were all red, polyester, and ill fitting.

"You're wearing clothes," she murmured.

Hatter knelt by the bed. "Jack's clothes. They're a bit big."

"Mmmmm." Alice glanced up. "Where's your hat?"

He gave her a slight smile. "Does that really matter right now?"

"Does it?"

"You know it doesn't." Hatter hesitantly reached for her hand.

Alice peered down at their linked fingers. "Were you faking the whole time? About the Tea?" she asked softly.

"Not the whole time. Not at first." He circled his fingers over her knuckles. "I was under it, kind of like I was in a fog. I kept trying to fight it off."

"How did you?"

He shook his head. "Tea doesn't really work on me. I mean, it might…for a while, but…I become immune. Most Tea shop owners are immune."

"I don't…I don't understand."

"Think about how many Teas I would have to sample. Thousands, I imagine it was thousands." Hatter chuckled weakly. "After a while, they all tasted the same to me; wouldn't affect me."

"Oh."

"I figured the only reason why it did this time, at least partly, is because I haven't had any Tea in over a year."

"Why did you fake it then? If you had your full capa-"

"Jack," he cut in. "When I came out and fought, it only served to make things worse for him. It definitely would've made things worse for you."

"Me?" Alice turned to him. "Everything is worse for me now…isn't it?"

"Alice…no."

Her chin quivered as tears started to fall down her cheeks. "I couldn't save them…could I? Even if I had done everything…I wouldn't have been able to save them." Alice shook her head. "My dad is dead. Once more I thought…I have him back, only to lose him again."

"Your dad died saving you."

"Yeah…for a second time. That doesn't make it any more okay."

"No, I didn-"

She glanced out the window. "I never had a chance, did I? With my mom?"

Hatter swallowed, and shut his eyes. "The woman that you knew as your mother was long gone."

"Because she never existed…did she?" Alice whispered. "She was just a program that my dad created. I heard what she said in there, about being stuck." She shook her head. "I was happy, you know? I loved my mom. I can remember doing all these things with her, hearing her laugh, and…all this time my real mother was screaming to get out."

"Alice…"

"She didn't exist, right?"

His shoulders slumped forward. "No," he finally admitted.

"Yeah." Alice picked at a loose string on the blanket. "What are you thinking right now?"

"That…I want to be in bed with you. I thought it all night, but…I didn't know…" Hatter shrugged weakly. "Can I…get in?"

She nodded mutely, and scooched over to make room. Hatter carefully climbed in, wrapping his arms around her. "Part of me was afraid that you were going to say no," he murmured.

"Sometimes, and I don't know how, I think you're one of the few things in my life that still makes sense," Alice whispered. She snuggled into his chest, sighing as he lay a kiss on the top of her head. "What are Jack and Ditty doing now?"

"Jack and Charlie have been burning the bodies. I mean, of the dead Suits. Ditty threw a fit when Jack told her that she couldn't help."

"Oh. They didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?" Hatter asked.

"She's pregnant. Ditty, that is. She's pregnant, and crazy doing what she did, but…I don't know what I would've done without her."

Hatter grinned. "Well, that certainly explains a lot."

"What about my parents? Have they-"

"No. Jack and Charlie have set them up on a funeral pyre. Jack said that he was going to wait until you were ready, unless if-"

Alice nodded. "I want to see it. I want to say goodbye." Her face scrunched up as she began to cry again. "I really thought that I could do it, you know? I thought that once my mom saw me, she would…I don't know, see the light or something. I thought that I could do the same thing to her that I did with my dad, you know?"

"That was a different situation."

"Yeah, it was different in that I failed."

"No." He held her closer. "You didn't fail. There was _nothing _that you could've done differently, Alice. Nothing."

"Can you hold me for a while?" she asked plaintively.

Hatter fixed the blankets so they were both covered. "You don't even need to ask."

* * *

><p>Hatter squeezed her hand as they stared straight ahead. Evredee and Robert were lying side by side on a pyre set up in the middle of the same field that Alice and Hatter ended up in after the Casino fell.<p>

Charlie looked at her somberly before offering her a small smile. Ditty was dressed in black, her hands a pale white as she gripped Jack.

"Do you want to say a few words, Alice?" Jack asked quietly.

"I…I don't…" Alice shook her head. "No. I have nothing to say."

"Are you sure?" Hatter whispered in her ear.

She kept her attention on the pyre. "What can I possibly say? No."

"Okay." Hatter nodded at Jack, and they went to pick up the torches that were lit around the pyre.

Alice watched; immobile as the flames spread. Part of her was dying to scream out, to run towards her parents, and yank them away from the fire. She blinked her eyes, and turned to walk away.

"Alice?" Hatter stuck the torch back in the ground, and ran after her. "Alice! What are you doing? Where are you going?"

"I…" She looked up at him. "I'm going home. I need to go home."

"Okay. I'll just tell Jack-"

"No. _I'm _going home." Alice pressed something hard into his palm. "_You're _staying here."

"What?" he whispered. Hatter opened his hand to find the diamond ring he had given Alice the night they got engaged. "What is this? What are you doing?"

"After everything that has happened…" She shook her head. "I can't do this to us. I can't have what happened to my parents happen to us."

Hatter's eyes widened. "What? You're talking mad! Alice, you and I are _nothing_ like your parents!"

"You don't know that!" she yelled. She bit her lip as she glanced down at the ring in his hand. "You said once that you belonged in Wonderland. I think now that you were right all that time. Wonderland is for you…and Earth is for me."

"Wait, I…Alice! Alice! ALICE!" he shouted as she staggered away from him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: To quote Britney Spears, oops...I did it again. What did I do to poor Alice and Hatter? Up next...Hatter gets drunk, and he and Alice come to blows. Bawahahahahaha -that was evil laughter.**


	23. Chapter 23

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: We are almost there at the end, dear friends! I am happy that some of you have been favoriting this as of last week, always glad to see new readers. I have to thank Lady Irish Rose for her, ahem, suggestions for this chapter. I hope it works! Thank you all so much!**

Chapter Twenty Two

Alice wrung her hands together; her skin clammy to the touch. She jerked her head up at the sound of the door opening, and watched as Ditty strode in.

"Has Jack started up the mirror yet?" Alice asked, her fear and anxiety palpable.

Ditty shook her head silently. "Alice, I-"

"Why hasn't he started the mirror? Has he lost the ring?"

"No. He got it off Evredee's finger before-"

"Then why hasn't he started it up yet?"

"Um…" Ditty reached for Alice's hand. "He's not going to. You're not thinking straight, Alice. You can't _possibly_ be thinking straight. You're talking about leaving Hatter here?"

Alice stilled. "I'm perfectly fine. I just need to get home, and…away from this place."

Ditty grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're not fine. You're not thinking clearly, Alice!"

"Yes…I am."

"No. Because if you were, then you _never_ would've done what you did to Hatter."

Alice pushed Ditty away. "I only told Hatter the truth about our relationship. I _know_ what's going to happen to us."

"No, you don't!"

"Yes…I do!"

Ditty paused. "You're lying to yourself, Alice. I know that things didn't go as well as you hoped…I mean, they didn't go well at all, but that doesn't mean that you have to give up on the best…Alice."

Alice shook her head. "I'm not lying to myself." Tears stung her eyes. "I thought about it all day. I love Hatter. I can't do to him what…being with me will only hurt him."

"How?"

Alice only stared at her. "You get the ring, Ditty. You start the mirror so I can leave. Jack doesn't have to do it."

"I'm not going to do it either!" Ditty exclaimed. "I'm not about to do anything for you that you'll regret later!"

"You haven't been listening to me, have you? I'm doing this for Hatter and me. He deserves a chance to be happy with someone here, instead of with me who…" Alice shrugged helplessly. "Are you going to help me?"

"No." Ditty bit her bottom lip, and shook her head. "You're not thinking clearly, Alice. I know that if you really had some more time to think-"

"I have thought!" Alice shouted. She took a deep breath, and squared her shoulders. "Fine. I'm going to head downstairs, and get it myself."

"Jack is not going to give it to you!"

"Then I'll fight him for it!"

"Alice, no!" Ditty ran towards the door. "Listen to yourself! You're going to fight Jack?"

Alice flung the door open. "I need to get out of this place. I can't move on if I can't get out of here. I don't belong in Wonderland."

"And, what? You think that if you leave that Hatter is going to break out in a dance of happiness?" Ditty stepped in the space between Alice and the hallway.

Alice swallowed, her lips trembling as she moved Ditty's arm. "He deserves better than me," she muttered softly, and pushed past Ditty to hurry down the hall.

* * *

><p>Hatter twirled Alice's engagement ring between his fingers. His eyes were bloodshot, and his view was hazy as he stared at the diamond. He grabbed the half empty bottle of ale that was resting on the long table in the dining hall, and took a extensive swig, not bothering to break for breath as he finished it.<p>

He threw the glass on the ground, watching it break as it hit the small pile of empty alcohol bottles next to the cabinet. Hatter wiped his mouth, and turned his attention back to the ring. He squinted, and looked up as he heard footsteps slowing as they came to the arch.

Alice froze, her eyes taking him in before glancing down at the bottles. Hatter slipped the ring into his pocket, and carefully made his way over. "I know you," he whispered. "I know you because you look just like the woman I love. But…" Hatter gently touched her arm, "you can't be, because that woman took my heart and ripped it in two when she left."

"You're drunk," she hissed. She reared back, the alcohol on his breath overpowering her olfactory senses. "You're drunk, and you don't know what you're saying."

"Oh, no? Oh, I don't know what I'm saying, yeah?" He let his fingers run up and down her bare skin. "I'm not the one who decided to destroy the best thing I've ever had."

"Shut up."

"No. You shut up!" He silenced, and pinched her bicep. "It's funny. You know, you feel human."

"I am," Alice whimpered.

"Oh, really?" Hatter smirked, and stumbled over. "Could've fooled me."

She turned away from him, and headed over to the door. "Once you sober up, you'll see that I made the right decision for us."

He ran in front of her, tripping momentarily over his feet. His eyes were hooded over as he looked at her. "I don't think that I can ever be sober enough to see that."

Alice pushed him out of the way, and began to run down the hall. "I love you!" Hatter shouted. He sounded almost pathetic; pleading as the three words croaked out.

She halted, slowly circling around on her heels to face him. "You do?"

"I do! You know I do!"

"You killed my mother!" Alice yelled. Her eyes widened, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, my god."

Hatter lurched backwards. "I had to," he whispered. "That woman was not your mother anymore. She…she was going to kill you." Tears leaked out of his eyes as he took her hand in his. "I couldn't even begin…my world would be a very horrible and lonely place without you."

Alice sniffed. "You can't see it, can you? That…that we're already becoming like my parents."

"What are you talking about?" Hatter spat out.

"I killed people!" Alice sobbed. "I killed all of those Suits! I didn't even think, I just…I lifted the gun, and I killed them." Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as she cried. "I have it in me to be like my mom. Somewhere in there, I can be evil."

He blinked, letting his eyes travel down her body before he fell down. Hatter moaned, and put his hands on his temples to stop the room from spinning as he looked up at her. "You could never be evil," he mumbled. "I wouldn't be with you if you were."

"One I could-"

"No!" Hatter scrambled to get up, and thrust the ring in her face. "Do you see this? I picked this out for you." He grunted. "It's not…it's not as good as you, but…I picked this for you because I love you. I would do anything for you."

"Hatter, I-"

"Why don't you just admit the truth, Alice?" Hatter snarled. "Your parents are gone. Your mother, heh, well she turned out to be someone completely different. You want to leave me here so _you_ get to do the leaving." He stuck the ring back in his trouser pocket. "You think I'm going to do it to you, so you're doing to me what you've done to every other person in your life…you're leaving because you're afraid."

"I'm leaving because I want to end it with you!" she yelled. "My parents hurt each other! I don't want us to hurt each other! I'm stopping things before they can happen!"

"Alice, shut up-"

"You should go and be with Carlotta St. Delaware," Alice said quietly. "You would be happy, and there would be no issues."

Hatter growled. "I don't _want_ Carlotta St. Delaware! Get that through your head!"

"You are still do drunk that if Carlotta was standing right in front of you…you would fuck her. You would fuck her, and wouldn't have any qualms about it."

"Do you really think so little of me?" Hatter hissed, his face pressed against hers. "If you really think that, you are fucked up."

Alice's eyes flashed as she met his. "No. You're just saying stuff like that to confuse me. I know what I need. I don't belong in Wonderland."

"Who does?"

"You do! You're from here, not me!"

Hatter chuckled wryly, and took a step back. "Do you want to get technical? 'Cause we can do that."

"What are you-"

"You're from here! Your parents are from here! You're a…you're a goddamn Wonderland Princess!"

Alice paled, and touched her face as if she had just been slapped. "Shut up," she whispered.

He shook his head as tears rolled down his cheeks. "Stay with me," he begged, his tone pleading. "If you don't want me in your world, then at least stay here with me in mine. Please…"

She fell down to the ground, bringing Hatter with her. "So many bad things have happened." Alice sniffed. "If you stay with me, only more bad things are going to happen. Look at who my mother really was, and her sister….and that's going to be me." She glanced up at him. "How could it not?"

Hatter started to kiss her along her jaw line and cheeks. "What about Jack?" he asked, in between kisses.

"Jack? What are you talking about?"

He pressed a soft kiss on her lips, and slowly ran his fingers through her hair. "I must be really drunk if I'm saying this, but while Jack is a bloody prick sometimes, he's not evil." Hatter tightened his hold on her. "You know that's true. He grew up here living under…well, you know who his mother was."

"What if you're wrong?" Alice whispered.

"I'm not," he replied firmly.

"I just…" She paused, and nervously licked her lips. "I just couldn't stand it if I ever hurt you-"

"What did you think you were doing when you told me that you were leaving?"

"No!" Alice shook her head. "I was protecting you! I wanted to save you from the pain of a future broken heart!"

He smiled softly. "You did a terrible job at it. My heart is broken now."

"I know," she whimpered. "I'm going to be so bad at it."

"Bad at what? What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to be a bad mother one day…aren't I? I'm going to say all the same things that my mom said to me, what Jack's said to him. I'm going to do horrible things."

"Alice, no…" Hatter paused. "That's what you're really worried about…isn't it?"

She shrugged as she cried harder. "I don't know. That, and…everything."

"Alice," he whispered. He carefully began to kiss around the outline of her lips. They both simultaneously silently moaned at the contact, and Alice let out a shudder. "I want…" Hatter panted, and swallowed. "I want you. I want all of you."

Alice shook her head. "I don't know why."

"I need you," he declared reverently. "I told you. I…I couldn't…"

"Hatter-"

"I can't!" he sobbed. "Me without you is like-"

She reached over, and kissed him. "I know. That's why I just wanted to leave, because…" Alice's chin quivered, "I need you too."

Hatter looked at her, hope in his eyes. "Alice," he murmured. He trailed his finger over her exposed collarbone. She moved closer to him, wrapping her legs across his lap. His hand grazed further down, eliciting a gasp from Alice as he stopped when the peaks of her breasts were straining through her dress.

Their eyes locked, and their lips parted, moving uncertainly for a moment. "Um…" Alice gently pushed Hatter down to the floor.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Giving you everything I can right now." She stood up, and shimmied out of her panties, letting them drop down by her feet.

"Oh, god…" he hissed.

Alice bent down, and unlatched his belt from the hook before moving over to the zip on his trousers. "I made a mistake when I said that I didn't need you. I do…need you."

Hatter tried to push the bleary haze all the drinking had put him in, out of his mind as Alice released his erection from its confines. "You don't…I mean…I don't…" he stuttered.

She lifted her skirts up, and they both let out a shuddering groan as she settled herself on top of him. Hatter's cock expanded inside of her, throbbing as it remained immobilized. Alice began to unsnap the buttons from the front of her bodice as she started to rock back and forth.

"I don't…I don't think I can last very long," Hatter panted out.

"That's okay." Alice reached down to give him a kiss. "We have the whole night to show each other."

Hatter looked into her eyes, and nodded as he began to thrust; releasing the tension in his waiting cock. "You…you better get ready for a lot of showings, even if I have to do it every hour to make sure that you know."

Alice nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "I'm up for the challenge."

* * *

><p>"I keep thinking that we should move," Alice murmured. They were lying on the wooden floor of the dining hall, both of them naked, with all of their clothes wrapped around them like blankets.<p>

Hatter gathered his arms around her, and kissed the top of her head. "I don't think I can."

"I know." Alice smiled. "I'm so tempted to sleep the day away on this floor."

He chuckled lightly. He then hesitated, licking and chewing at his bottom lip for a minute. "I…I'm glad that you didn't leave."

She shook her head. "I'm still scared."

Hatter was silent as he continued to hold her. He reached for his trousers that were resting along his thighs, and pulled out the ring. "This was one of the scariest things that I've ever done," he said quietly. "After following you through the mirror of course. Actually, all of the most terrifying moments of my life involve you in some way, yeah?"

"That can't be right. I know that you've been through a lot in your life."

"Yes, but…with you, I actually have a lot to lose, a lot to risk."

She glanced up, her chin resting on his bare chest. "What are you saying?"

"I hoped it was obvious," he replied, letting out a nervous laugh. His fingers shook as he moved the ring closer to her. "Do you still want to marry me?"

Alice's heart beat quickened. "Yes."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Does that make everybody feel better? A couple more chapters left, and a Wonderland wedding...maybe...maybe not**


	24. Chapter 24

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Here's a nice little chapter for you guys before the weekend. I hope you enjoy, and there's going to be some more to come since all of you who have reviewed have given me your own suggestions of what you want to see coming up. Thanks guys, thanks a lot. Now I have a **_**lot **_**more work to do ;) Hope some of this makes you laugh! Read Live4Sunshine's **_**Mad Hatter**_**, it is guaranteed to make you laugh, and it's the in-between of **_**Wonderland Sunshine**_** and the upcoming smut filled sex story, and I know you all are waiting for that one! **

Chapter Twenty Three

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Hatter flinched as Alice jerked next to him. "What was that?" she murmured.

"Wasn't me." He shook his head, and his eyes widened as he glimpsed Charlie standing over them. The old knight had his eyes open in horror, and his hand shook as he struggled to keep his teacup steady.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Hatter shouted.

"What's going…" Alice turned around, and opened her mouth to let out a scream as she struggled to reach for extra scraps of the clothes lying around to cover herself with. Her face reddened as she flipped over onto her stomach, moving her arms up to flatten her breasts; leaving Hatter's shirt barely covering the curve of her ass.

"Um…" Hatter jumped up, his morning erection springing free as he faced Charlie. "Calm down, old man. We just fell asleep, and-"

Charlie threw his cup down. It smashed on the floor as he raised his finger at Hatter. "You will _not_ defile JustAlice with your…sword again! All night! All night long I had to listen to you defiling her! Dear god, man! Did you even stop to breathe?"

"Oh, god no…" Alice moaned, her embarrassment visibly spreading over her body.

Hatter chuckled uncomfortably, his face ashen. "You heard that, yeah?"

"Don't try to deflect me, harbinger," Charlie hissed. He pressed his cheek against Hatter's. "I heard your primal scream. Haven't you ever heard of keeping it in?"

Hatter glanced at Alice. "Well, that probably wasn't all-"

"Hush!" Charlie scoffed as he looked at Hatter's cock. "Make that thing go down, will you? Haven't you put JustAlice through enough?"

"Oi!" Hatter covered his groin with his hand, and was about to open his mouth once more when he spied Jack and Ditty turning the corner.

"Are you okay?" Ditty asked.

"Oh, god…" Alice muttered from her spot down on the floor.

"Oh." Ditty gazed at Alice, and then at Hatter before she started to snicker. Her cheeks pinked, and she tried to muffle the sound of her laughter as she buried her face in Jack's shoulder.

"Okay…what's going on here?" Jack asked cautiously.

"Your Majesty, I am so pleased that you are here. The Hatter was about to defile JustAlice!" Charlie puffed his chest up. "I must stop him!"

Jack pursed his lips, trying to prevent them from shaking. He turned to look down at Alice, and started to laugh. "Again? All of us heard you at all hours of the night. We don't want your cock to, ah, fall off, do we…Hatter?"

"Uggh," Alice mumbled. "Great. You heard everything too. Now, don't you think it'll be possible for you all to leave so I can at least attempt to get dressed?"

Charlie narrowed his eyes at Hatter. "I think I should stay to monitor the situation. I do believe that the harbinger will try it again."

"Oh, fuck!" Hatter released his hand. "It's just morning wood!"

Ditty peeked her head to the side, and smiled while Alice blushed again and squeezed her eyes shut.

Charlie nodded. "Impressive."

* * *

><p>Alice wrapped the pink towel around her chest, tightening it under her arms before she pushed the bathroom door ajar. She stepped into the bedroom, and was about to remove the towel when the door opened.<p>

"Alice, I-"

"AHHHHHH!" she screamed, holding the towel against her. "Why didn't you knock?"

Jack blushed. "I did…I did. I think."

"Where's Hatter?"

"Oh, he's downstairs. Scarfing down breakfast like he's never eaten in his life." Jack grinned. "I guess you wore him out last night." He ended it with an uncomfortable chuckle.

"Okay. Do you need something, Jack? Because I kinda need to get dressed in case you haven't noticed," Alice said pointing down at the towel.

"Oh, er, yes. I was hoping to talk to you for a minute."

"Okay, well, let me, um, let me grab a robe from the bathroom, okay?"

Jack nodded. "I'll be out here." He glanced over the queen sized bed, and sat down on the edge of it, twiddling his fingers between his knees as he waited.

"So…" The bed squeaked as Alice sat next to him. Her hair was still damp, and she was attempting to detangle the ends with her fingers. "What did you want to talk about?"

"You and Hatter are going back? To your world?"

"Yes…why?"

Jack gave her a weak smile. "You do know that all of this is rightfully yours, right? Your mother was the oldest, and the first heir, which makes you…" he let his thought trail off.

Alice stared at him. "You're joking…right?"

"No, I-"

"No. I don't want anything more to do with Wonderland. I'm done with it."

"What about your father's family?" Jack asked softly.

Alice shrugged. "I wouldn't even know where to begin. I just know that they live up north. I mean, what do I do? Find a family with the last name of Hamilton, and say, 'oh, I may be your long lost son's daughter?'"

"No, I suppose not." He sighed. "I don't blame you for wanting to leave either. I would go…in a second."

"Why don't you?"

He shook his head. "I still feel a responsibility to Wonderland, to the people. My family did this, I need to get them out."

She gently touched his hand. "I wouldn't even know where to start as Queen. I'm a senior in college slash judo instructor, you know? I know nothing about running my own life, much less a kingdom."

"And a messed up kingdom at that."

"Every place is messed up, but Earth, at this time, makes more sense to me."

Jack smiled. "Yeah. Listen, Alice…stay here once more night, okay?"

"Why?"

"Ditty and I want to make you and Hatter a nice dinner. Well, Ditty will be mostly making it since my claim to fame is pancakes, and…we have no idea where the cooks are."

Alice snickered. "I think that would be fine."

"Good." Jack leaned in, and gave Alice a hug. "Don't give up on Wonderland completely," he whispered, "you would always be welcome here."

"I know." Alice gave him a sad smile. "I just don't know if that time would ever come."

* * *

><p>Hatter gently ran his finger along Alice's bare shoulder where the slip of her dress had fallen down. "We should get married here."<p>

Alice turned around, and looked up at him. They were lying down outside on the grass on a large blanket that Hatter had stolen from one of the many bedrooms. "What?"

"I…er…" He cleared his throat. "That is, I mean, erm, I want to marry you. I hope that you still want to marry me." Hatter chuckled weakly at the last sentence. "You do…don't you?"

"I did say yes again this morning," she reminded him.

He nodded. "I know. I just…" Hatter stuttered incoherently for a moment before he took a deep breath. "I was thinking that maybe once good thing can come from everything that's happened."

"Hatter, I-"

"I would like that," he rambled.

Alice paused. "Who would even marry us? I don't know how things work here."

"Well, Jack can do it. He is King after all."

"When?"

"Tonight," Hatter said eagerly. "We can have the dinner, and then spend the night at my house."

She shook her head, and burst out laughing. She stopped a minute later as she locked eyes with Hatter. "Oh…you're serious."

"Well, I could always see if I can take a Scarab up to the lodge in the north. I'm sure that Jack and Ditty would let us-"

Alice placed her finger over his lips. "No. Spending a night alone at your house would be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Spending a night alone with you _anywhere_ sounds good to me."

Hatter grinned. "So…you will?"

"Yes." She reached up to run her hand through his hair. "I will."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Up next, the wedding, and per, ahem, Lady Irish Rose's request...a wedding night. Hmmm...should I make it wild and crazy, or romantic and sweet? Decisions...decisions...**


	25. Chapter 25

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Here we go, one more chapter after this one and it is over! ****L This chapter is for all of you who have requested just a teeny bit more of Alice and Hatter before they leave to go home. I do hope that you enjoy…especially the wedding night ;) Hee hee. **

Chapter Twenty Four

Alice bit her lip as she stared at herself in the mirror. She smoothed out the front of the tightly fitted white dress, and spun around. The overlaying skirt flared out a bit, but otherwise the dress was form fitting. The bodice sucked her in, and it tied in the front with gold laces. The sleeves were long and draped; the edges etched with the same shade of gold as the laces.

Her dark hair was curled, the loose ringlets reaching down to her chest. It was an arduous process, one that had Alice begging Ditty to remove the rags within an half an hour for her scalp had started to burn. Ditty didn't listen, of course, which Alice was later grateful for.

Alice exhaled, shutting her eyes for a minute before she heard the door open. "I'm coming!" she exclaimed.

"Not yet," Ditty said.

"Oh." Alice opened her eyes. "I thought that you were going to be Charlie."

"Glad that I'm not?"

"A bit."

Ditty smiled. "You look beautiful. I knew that dress would fit you."

"Is it very old?" Alice lifted the sleeves up. "They do feel quite heavy."

"It has been around since the time of the White Queen, though slightly modified of course."

"Oh." Alice blanched. "I'd better not spill anything on it then. Or throw up. My stomach is jumping around so much that I feel like I'm going to."

"Here." Ditty picked up a white box that was waiting by the open door. "This is the finishing touch."

"What is it?"

"If you're going to have a Wonderland wedding, you need to wear this." Ditty pulled out a small wooden wreath that was adorned with leaves and flowers in varying colors of yellow, orange, and red. The way it was all laced together gave off the impression of embers in a dwindling fire. "It's called the wreath of gold."

"I think…I think I remember Charlie saying something about it."

"It's a Wonderland tradition that goes back to when the White Queen was in power." Ditty lowered the wreath down on top of Alice's head. "It's supposed to bring health, wealth, and good luck for the couple."

Alice smiled softly. "I suppose we could use a bit of that right now."

"At first the royal families would use a wreath made of real gold, and only the farmers would make them out of leaves and flowers."

"What changed?"

"I don't know. Maybe the Queen realized that the whole real gold thing was not helping with the class differences?" Ditty shrugged. "When Jack's mother became Queen, she did away with the whole tradition, except…people still included it. In secret of course."

"Thank you." Alice awkwardly tapped the wreath. "For everything."

"Oh, believe me, it's no-"

"You look beautiful, Alice," Jack cut in.

Alice and Ditty turned around. Jack was leaning against the doorway, dressed resplendently in red. "Thanks. I'm not quite sure about that though," Alice murmured.

He smiled, and walked in. "I got these for you," he said, waving a small stack of papers at her.

"What are they?"

"All the papers that you need."

Alice shook her head. "I don't understand what you mean."

"It's stuff that I don't want you to worry about when you get home." Jack put the papers down on the bedside table. "There's a marriage certificate for you and Hatter, a death certificate for your mother, papers showing that the loft and the bank accounts belong to you."

"I didn't even think about any of that stuff," Alice whispered.

"You can decide what you want to do with the apartment when you get back. You can keep it, sell it, it doesn't matter."

"I don't know where to begin." She started to pace around the room. "I mean…my mom had a job. How am I going to explain what happened? I don't even know…I mean, time has passed. I mean-"

Ditty shook her head at Jack. "Well, it doesn't matter," he pressed on, "you can leave that whole part of your life behind."

"I'm going to have so much to throw away," Alice murmured. "And all of those pictures in the house." She shook her head. "There's so many pictures."

"Alice, you can think about all of that later," Ditty interjected. "Jack-"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even-" he stuttered.

"No, you shouldn't have," Ditty retorted. "Alice-"

"So…" there was a chuckle from the hallway. "I wouldn't normally feel bad for him, but the poor harbinger is out in the field by himself," Charlie said.

"Right." Jack breathed out a sigh of relief, grateful for the change in topic. "He's probably thinking that we're all here because Alice has changed her mind or something."

"Jack!" Ditty groaned.

He paled. "I said the wrong thing again, didn't I?"

"We'll see you outside," Ditty said to Alice, pulling Jack after her.

Charlie smiled. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I know I am."

"You look absolutely beautiful, Alice," he whispered.

Alice chuckled. "I feel like I'm playing dress up."

He held his arm out to her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." She linked her arm with his. "Ready."

* * *

><p>Hatter fidgeted. He toed his boot in the dirt, and nervously touched the rim of his fedora.<p>

"Hatter…" Jack murmured.

"What?" Hatter shot back, sharper then he intended.

"Alice." Jack nodded over Hatter's shoulder. Alice and Charlie were starting to walk up the hill.

Hatter inaudibly gasped, his cheeks pinking as he wiped the sweat off his hands onto his brown trousers. He reached for his hat, and pulled it off, awkwardly shifting it from hand to hand before he tossed it onto the ground.

"Alice…" he whispered. Hatter took her hands in his as she turned to face him. The sky was a deep pink behind them with the sun half way hidden in the valley of the mountains.

She smiled shyly, her heart racing as she looked at him. "Hatter…"

"Part of me worried that you weren't going to come." Hatter swallowed, searching her eyes. "I was out here alone for a while."

Alice glanced at Jack who was standing patiently in between the two of them. "You never have to worry about that." Her hands shook as she tried to squeeze his in reassurance.

He nodded silently. His eyes traveled up to the wreath adorned in her hair. "You're doing the old Wonderland traditions, yeah?" he croaked.

She pursed her lips. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." Hatter gave her a dimpled smile. "I love all of it." His smile got larger upon seeing Alice blush.

"Are you ready?" Jack asked, not certain if his interruption was going to be welcome. Hatter was looking at Alice as if they were alone in their own universe.

Alice nodded. "Yes."

Hatter repeated the words that Jack said to him, but he didn't know how his brain even processed it. All he could see, and hear, was Alice. Her blue eyes shone at him, and he watched her mouth move as she said the same vows. He broke out into a big grin as she said his name. Alice was smiling, and chewing nervously on her lower lip.

"Hatter," Jack said gently.

"Yes?"

Alice chuckled. "I think…well, I know that you're supposed to kiss me now."

"Oh." He exhaled, pressing his forehead to hers. "I know that if I kiss you now, I probably won't want to stop." Hatter shook his head. "Let me correct that. I _know _that I won't want to stop."

Alice subconsciously licked her lips in anticipation. "Well, how about one kiss now and…we won't have to stop later tonight?"

"Is that a promise?" Hatter growled lightly.

She grabbed his cheeks with her hands, and pulled him in for a kiss. He let out a moan as their tongues merged, and Alice giggled. "Yes," she promised.

* * *

><p>Alice gingerly walked out of the Scarab. Hatter had used one of his ties as a blindfold. He wrapped it over her eyes, and insisted that she keep it on for the duration of the ride. She gripped Hatter's hand, and tightened her hold on a bag that Ditty had given her.<p>

"Do you think that I can take this off yet?" she pleaded.

"Hold on. One…more…" Hatter adjusted the bag of food in his arm as he led her over the last step.

"Where are we? I thought you said that we were going to spend the night at your house." Alice sniffed. "Do I smell the ocean?"

"Wait." He put the bag on the ground, and loosened the tie. "Ta da!"

"Oh, my god." She and Hatter were standing on the rocky pathway that led to a weathered stone cottage that stood on the edge of a beach. The tide splashed against the wall that ran around the house. "Where are we?"

"I was going to bring you to my house, but Ditty, she…this belongs to her family. She suggested that we stay here." Hatter smiled. "What do you think? Maybe a little night swimming?"

"How about a little swimming right now?"

"Hmmm?"

Alice grinned. "I can see there's a back door. Lets throw everything in the house, and then run out."

"Alice…" He watched as she took off towards the door, her hair flying behind her. "Alice!" Hatter chased after her, the bag of food weighing him down as he made his way into the house. "Alice!"

She had thrown the bag down on the couch, and the back door leading to the water was flung open. He chuckled, and left the food on the kitchen table before he headed out onto the back porch.

Alice's clothes were strewn over the porch steps and he could make out her almost naked form dive under a wave. "Hatter!" she shouted.

"You're not all the way naked!" he yelled.

"I'll be like that later!"

Hatter shook his head, and started to strip down to his boxers. "Then this is all you get too!" He jumped off the steps, and hurried in, diving into the water.

Alice panted, her breath coming out in short gasps. "The water's cold," she said unnecessarily.

"That's what I'm here for, yeah?"

"What's that?"

"To keep you warm." Hatter wrapped his arms around her. "Is that better?"

She rested her head against his chest. "I like this." Alice slid her legs up so they reached his hips. "And this."

He let his hands fall down till they found the clasp of her bra. "I think this needs to be removed, yeah?"

Alice shook her head. "Not yet."

Hatter groaned. "When?"

"Soon." She giggled. "Besides, it's not nearly as romantic as you think it is to have sex in the ocean. Trust me."

He cocked his eyebrows at her. "Oi! Who did you have sex with in the ocean?"

* * *

><p>They stood shivering in the doorway of the living room. Hatter rubbed Alice's bare arms as he glanced towards the fireplace in the corner of the room.<p>

"You should put the food away and start a fire," she suggested. Her teeth clicked together as she shivered.

"Why don't you sit on the couch? There's a blanket there."

She shook her head, stray droplets from her wet hair splattering him in the face. "I'm going to go upstairs for a moment. I'll meet you back down here."

"Oh?" Hatter waggled his eyebrows. "You have a surprise for me in that bag of yours?"

"Maybe…" Alice stroked the side of his cheek. "You get to work."

"Mmm." He let out a shudder as he watched the muscles in her ass flex as she headed up the stairs. Hatter quickly unpacked the food from the bad, and threw the items into the fridge. The image of Alice's wet underwear pressed against her skin flashed through his mind distracting him to the point that he didn't notice when he put the ice cream into the fridge instead of the freezer.

Hatter shivered, and hopped over to the fireplace. There was a few good cords of wood stacked in a metal container, and a box of matches next to them on the stone. He hurriedly set up the logs, and struck the match against the stone floor.

"You better hope that the flue is open," Alice remarked.

He turned around. "I think we're going to be in a lot of trouble if it isn't." Hatter licked his lips. "Wow."

Alice had changed into a light blue lace slip. It barely covered her non existent underwear, and it hugged every one of her small curves. The tips of her nipples caught his attention, as they were straining against the fabric.

"Do you like it?" she asked uncertainly.

"I love it." He glanced down to where his cock had made a tent out of his boxers. "My whole body loves it."

Alice blushed. "I wasn't sure…" she stammered.

"I should…" Hatter reached for the blanket, and spread it out on the floor next to the fireplace. "Yeah?"

She nodded silently and sat down. "You should probably take your boxers off."

"Oh." He chuckled. "I'm probably going to fall over when I take them off."

"Why's that?"

"Because I don't want to stop looking at you."

Her cheeks pinked again. "You've seen a lot of me lately."

Hatter let his boxers fall to the ground. "But, never like this."

"Oh, this is something that Ditty found. She thought-"

"I mean…" Hatter grinned, and chuckled. "I mean…my wife."

"Oh." Alice smiled. "Right."

His heart raced as he leaned forward to kiss her. "Did you ever think that…I mean, the day we met…" he stroked her cheek, "could you have imagined?"

"From the day we met?" She shook her head. "No."

"I guess I wasn't on my best behavior then."

"And now?"

Hatter swallowed. "I want to ravish you."

"I don't think that's good behavior either," she teased.

He kissed her again. "You make it hard for me." Hatter gently crawled over her till she was lying down. "You always make it hard for me." He hissed as the tip of his cock rubbed against the heat from her entrance. "God."

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

Hatter paused, and looked down at her. "A good thing. I hope."

"I…I love you," Alice whispered.

"I love you too." Hatter grazed his hand down till it reached her thigh. "I really did think that you were going to leave me."

"When?"

"Every single day that I've known you." They both gasped as he slid inside. "Oh…fuck."

"What?" Alice panted. She moaned, lifting her hips up to give him further access.

"You're so hot. You're so bloody tight. How can you be so bloody tight?" he grunted.

"Magic."

Hatter laughed. He pulled her up so that she was resting on his thigh. "Magic, yeah?" He started to whimper as they began to move together.

"I love you," she murmured in his ear.

"Say that again. Keep saying it," Hatter muttered, burying his face in her neck.

He grabbed at her back as he heard the words repeated. Alice gasped as his thrusts got more intense, each one pushing further in than before. She shuddered out the words one last time before she found that she couldn't speak.

Hatter sunk his teeth into her shoulder, and sucked, his eyes darkened. "Hatter," she whispered.

He used the straps of her slip to bring her closer to him as they rocked back and forth. Hatter moaned as he felt Alice's inner walls clamp down on him. "I love you," he drew out.

Alice's calves were starting to burn, her muscles flexing as she struggled to hold onto him.

"Alice…Alice…" Hatter groaned.

She leaned back. "Yes?"

His face was red, and he visibly shook as he looked at her. Alice watched as his eyes flashed open, and he pulled her towards him, cleaving her to him as his release spurted out inside of her.

She felt him loosen. Hatter nuzzled against her as his breathing steadied. "I love you."

"I love you too," she sighed.

"Am I yours?" he asked, his voice muffled by her hair.

"Mmmm hmmm." She nodded furiously as she cradled his head.

"I've always wanted to be." Hatter grinned. "When I first met you, and you were talking about Jack…I wished that I could be that man that you talked about."

"You are." Alice let out a whimper of loss as Hatter pulled out.

They lay down next to each other on the blanket. "You are to me." Hatter kissed her forehead. "That wasn't good."

"What? What wasn't good?"

"What we just did."

"What?" Alice turned to look at him. "You didn't like it?"

"Oh, no, I…" Hatter chuckled. "I liked it. I love it every time I get to come inside of you. But, you didn't come."

"I don't need to-" She was silenced by Hatter scooching down. "What are you doing…oh god." Alice felt the warmth from his tongue slide along her clit.

"What kind of husband would I be if I didn't eat out my wife every now and then?" Hatter grinned, and winked at her. "A very bad one."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: One more chapter! I hope this was romantic enough, and ooh, tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so there, a nice little one for that!**


	26. Chapter 26

La Belle Dame sans Merci

**Author's Note: Here we are, a short chapter to finish off the story. Thank you everybody who has been following this for the past, nearly six months. You regular reviewers are love, and all of you quiet readers, thank you for supporting this strange story. Enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty Five

Alice pulled the blanket over her shoulders. She slung her leg over Hatter's thigh, and snuggled in closer.

The bed they were sleeping in was large. Large and pristine white, with fluffy sheets to match. Except now there were some obvious wet spots as well as the smell of sex permeating through each layer.

"We need to get up," she murmured.

Hatter shook his head. "I have no immediate plans except for spending the day naked in bed with you."

Alice smiled, and playfully slapped his chest. "No. We have to go home. Real life is waiting for us, or have you forgotten that?"

"What do you think this is?" He chuckled. "We shagged about five times, well, that is if you count me bringing you to orgasm with my mouth twice as shagging. Are you telling me that wasn't real?"

She blushed. "Well, of course it was."

"What are you saying?" he asked quietly. Hatter turned, and wrapped his arms around her. "Does a part of you want to stay in Wonderland?"

Alice hesitated. "I do, but…" she sighed, "it'll just be an escape, you know? It wouldn't erase everything that happened to me."

"Alice, I-"

"Not that I've really allowed myself to think about what happened."

"Do you think you would want to come back here?"

She traced circles around his nipples. "Jack asked me that too. I still don't know what the answer is." Alice shook her head. "I have other things on my mind. Things I have to do in a week or so."

"What things?"

"Oh, you know, the normal…clean out my mom's apartment, figure out where we're going to live, see if I even still have a job when we get back, oh, and take a pregnancy test."

Hatter winced. "Oops. Yeah, I guess we haven't exactly been careful about that, yeah?"

She threw him a withering glance. "You think?"

He snickered. "Guess we have to find out if I have good swimmers and, uh, if you have willing eggs."

"Willing eggs?"

"Yeah, you know, welcoming. Will they block my guys, or…will they say 'welcome, it's nice and comfortable here.'" Hatter grinned. "Like that?"

Alice shook her head. "Oh, my god. You're insane."

"I know." He chuckled lightly. "I guess there's nothing more we can do except wait and see."

"Okay," she whispered. "What do you say? A few more hours in here?"

"Hmmm…" Hatter turned so he was on top of her. "I think more than just a few more hours. It's barely dawn."

"Um…" Alice nodded out at the window where the sun was shining brightly. "I don't know what your definition of dawn is, but that buddy, is _way_ past dawn."

"Ignore it." He started kissing his way down her neck. "I go by my own time."

* * *

><p>The mirror vibrated as they stood in the hall. Jack stepped back from the controls, and smiled awkwardly at Alice. "It's…ready," he said unnecessarily.<p>

"I think that's obvious, mate," Hatter muttered from the side.

"Do you have everything?" Ditty asked Alice.

"Oh." Alice glanced down at the papers in her right hand. "I think so." She looked back up at Ditty. The Duchess was smiling at her, waiting for her to continue. "I…I don't know what else to say."

"Oh." Ditty leaned over and gave her a hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"I don't think that I need to remind you that you and Hatter are welcome back anytime," Jack said.

"Oh, I know." Alice gave him a small smile.

"I hope you will," Ditty jumped in. She reached down to rub at her stomach. "I know of someone who will want to meet you in a few months."

"I can't believe that you guys are going to have a baby," Alice murmured. She locked eyes with Hatter who was making his way over to her. He gave her a smile before he moved to adjust his hat.

"I can't either," Jack admitted.

"JUSTALICE!" Charlie shouted. Everybody looked up as they watched the knight rush in. "I thought I would've missed you!"

"Unfortunately not," Hatter mumbled.

Charlie grabbed Alice's hands, and panted. "JustAlice, you _will _let me know when the harbinger gets to be too much for you." He eyed Hatter standing behind Alice. "_I _will put him in his place. Never fear, JustAlice, never fear for I am only a mirror's trip away from rescue. The harbinger will-"

Hatter reddened, and grimaced. He plastered a smile on his face and removed Charlie's hand from Alice's. "I think that's quite enough, yeah? I think after last night and this morning I doubt that Alice thinks I am too much-"

"Hatter!" Alice exclaimed.

"I have warned you about defiling JustAlice." Charlie narrowed his eyes. "Once…or twice…I can handle. Thousands of times? No, sir! I cannot allow-"

"Oi!"

"Charlie!"

"Alice…" She felt Hatter take her hand, his new wedding band clinking against hers. "I think we should go," he whispered.

"I know. If we don't leave now, I don't know if I can."

He tightened his hold on her. "Then we don't look back."

"No." Alice willed herself not to take her eyes off of Hatter as he led her over to the mirror. "What do we do next?"

Hatter shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I'm just happy to be going through the mirror with you this time."

"I need you."

"Yeah. I need you too."

"So…" She looked at the mirror. "What's next?"

Hatter stared at the swirling vortex. "We jump."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And...that is the end! Again, thank you so much! I have plans to write a parody next, a Harlequin Alice if you will, thanks to a prompt from Live4Sunshine, so look out for that! **


End file.
